The power of love
Power couples will be the next big thing in oenogastronomy, and the rest. Or maybe they have always been it?
The most famous gastronomy couple is probably the Julia & Paul Child, followed quickly by M.K. Fischer and not poor old Al who gave her the surname, nor the last and forgotten one who gave her children…but the second husband, Dillwyn Parrish.
Love and gastronomy, of course, and banally, do intertwine.
Love and beverages are similar: when couples work in a vineyard, for example, we can witness an actual multiplication of their passion.
And if we look back at Provence and Cote d’Azur in the first half of the past century as the epicentre of gastronomy and love, we can say that the world has wrapped around Portugal like a candy in the past few years.
Its mild climate and accessible prices made this tiny coastal county the perfect destination for wanderers searching for a somewhat uncharted territory to conquer.
Since 2015, a relentless trickle of expats has started conquering space. It has established itself partially on these western Atlantic shores, and talented young Portuguese have also slowly returned to their roots and opened up businesses in Portugal.
Aperitivo
We start with LiquidLove, the cosy bar opened by star bartenders Cheila Tavares, Portuguese with a touch of Cape Vert and Angola, and Semi M’Zoughi, from Tunis through Italian Brianza. Together, they master classic Italian bartending, and in this space, tucked away around the Desterro area in Lisbon, Semi started exploring his second nature as a focaccia maker. Their aperitif with cocktails paired with Semi’s focaccias are becoming legendary.
We move to Quattro Teste, another bar in downtown Lisbon where love is flowing as much as cocktails. This cosy bar with open doors but a speakeasy attire opened in 2021 on the site of a former oyster bar in Mouraria, Lisbon. Alf del Portillo comes from the Basque country of Spain, and Marta Premoli is Italian. Together, they fuse Basque and Italian flavours with elegance and a welcoming attitude. Their Negroni is to die for, and they know their bitters - their Cynarino features Cynar, an artichoke Italian classic bitter. It's pretty rare outside Italy.
Last but not least, in our round of aperitifs, we moved to the French neighbourhood of Lisbon, Campo de Ourique. Here, amidst the expat residents, it opened in 2022 after Nexo 1/2. Bartender Diogo Lopes and Catarina Correira met while working at the world-famous speakeasy Red Frog and decided to join their love for each other and their love for making cocktails by moving on and opening a cosy, playful space where cocktails are an invitation to play with flavours.
A love wine list
Las Vedras is a couple’s dream. The oenologist, the most renowned outside Portugal and a star pioneer of low-intervention wines in the country, Pedro Marques, decided to join forces with his wife Sonia Raposo and started a beautiful little winery in the Greater Lisbon Area. Tending for ancient, formerly abandoned vineyards and sprucing up an antique winery is their gift of love to us.
Dominó Wines is another winery of love: former and occasional chef Vitor Claro decided to lend himself to winemaking in the company of his better half, Rita Ferreira. Their wines are the purest expression of love and love for their terroir.
Dinner
Almeja is a love-based restaurant in Porto. The love for food is in the first place. The passion for travelling far is expressed in plates like the sublime curry dessert, an inventive twist that leaves customers with a tingling swirl for adventure.
Nunes Real Marisqueira is the over-the-top extravaganza of a couple in love with the Portuguese seas and Art Deco. Vanda and Miguel Nunes are an iron-clad couple who worked hard to achieve their dream. What a dream made true. It is a beautiful restaurant where one can enjoy the best seafood and fish in the Atlantic, served alongside a wine list that grows in complexity every day.
Breakfast
David Jesus and Sandra are the power couple behind Portugal's most delicious and innovative bakery, The Millstone Sourdough. Their babka is decadent, and their bread is a sought-after piece of craftsmanship that can be enjoyed at home or at the table of some of the best restaurants around Lisbon. David, former Chef at two-star Belcanto in Chiado, knows what to make and, with his wife Sandra, has taken the bakery to the gastronomic level.
With her partner in love and business, Sara Soares has created the vegan dream of pastry heaven: Caos, O Futuro é Vegetal is a delicious collection of seasonal sweets made with love and kindness, alongside excellent pastry skills. We cannot do but wish all the best to the couple!