An outstanding 2 Michelin star dining experience through the Asian cuisine: Restaurant Ocean (3. January 2025)

I’ve tried a few starred restaurants in the Algarve, but I must admit the Ocean is the best so far (to be fair, it’s the only 2 Michelin star restaurant I’ve tried in the Algarve). I started with a non-alcoholic drink, a “Shurb (rice vinegar, Ish Carribean spices <0.5, lemon, mint)” (EUR 10.00), which was actually surprisingly nice and refreshing, but led to a moment of ‘taste challenge due to the vinegar base of the drink.

There is not much of a choice in terms of what you want to eat. Either, you can have the regular or the vegetarian tasting menu. I went for the regular one, the “Tasting Menu Asia Expedition” (EUR 275.00) is based on the Asian travels of the chef, Hans Neuner, and inspired by what he has experienced in Asia.

The first course is called, the “first flight already delayed (goose liver, mango, cinnamon)”, which is a pastel de nata, but in a savoury version. Besides the prettiness of the dish with the flowers, it is also a good start into the dinner. I was surprised how smooth the foie gras was (i.e., not overpowering the rest), but pleasantly surprised.

Next in line were two courses at once. Firstly, the “mussels chawanmushi (myoga, sea oak)”, which was an interesting flan-based dish with a great combination of different textures and flavours. The cep on top was the second dish, the “Early Morning at Toyosu Fish Market (tuna belly, homemade boletus miso, Japanese mustard)”, which was a tuna belly tartare mixed with mustard packed in a mushroom shape with cep powder on top. Personally, I found the mustard a bit too intense, making it hard to taste the tuna belly tartare, but other than that, it was a great bite.

My absolute favourite were the “Dancing Shrimps (imperial caviar, rock shrimps, coconut, kaffir lime)” because they perfectly resembled a Thai dish. It felt like a lemongrass-based salad and was so refreshing and took me back to Thailand. Absolutely outstanding. The “sensu (wasabi ice cream, beetroot)”, i.e., the fan was delicious too, but didn’t have the same surprise effect, although the wasabi ice cream was really something else and something quite interesting.

Then it was time for the “homemade sourdough bread with butter with 20 years aged soy”. The bread was fine, but the butter, topped with shrimp chilli oil, was truly delicious. The interior was 20-year-old aged soy and that had an intensity and flavour, which was great.

Then, it was time for the “Shio Koji (mackerel, rice vinegar, tomato rice)”, which was – frankly – a bit of a disappointment. Sure, it was fine, but compared to all previous dishes, this fell a bit short. To be fair, though, the little bread stick filled with a paté was delicious.

Next in line was the “Lotus Flower (king crab, ponzu hollandaise, trout roe)”, which was only the little bowl in the middle. The rest was made out of massive cast iron, which was hard to lift. The king crab with the trout roe was a nice combination, but it was rather hard to eat (and one lost some trout roe on the way).

The “tempura (langoustine, yuzu, nashi pear)” came in a delicious sauce and skilfully played with textures – you had a crunch, a liquid and the texture of the langoustine – which also went great together from a flavour perspective.

Next in line was the “No Tokyo Drift (sea bass, lobster gyoza, sweet kombu, broccolli)”, which was an interesting combination. The two tiny lobster gyoza, which had been placed on the sea bass, were absolutely delicious, but they also went well with the sea bass and the sauce.

The “One Night in Bangkok (sole, kohlrabi, kampot pepper)” was looking lovely, and a carabiñero is always a good choice, but in this case, the beef broth, which was at the base of the dish, together with the slightly spicy kampot pepper (from Cambodia) was overpowering the flavours of the carabiñero, which was a true pity.

Then, it was time for the last savoury course, the “Kimchi (Renard Rouge quail, cabbage, tofu)”, which was surprising. The quail had an intense flavour, but didn’t have that bird-like aftertaste. The dried cabbage on top of it gave it a little bit of a crunchy note, which was definitely adding to the dish. The part, which is hard to see in the picture, some kind of layered ratatouille, and that was amazingly delicious. The flavour, the intensity, it was just heavenly.

Then it was time for a “Fortune Cookie (gooseberry, bread miso, Koa)”, which was served with edible paper (mine said, “you’ll unexpectedly meet the love of your life”), which was nice, but the chocolate base it was stuck in, was too intense for me. The bread miso base of the dish with the dragon worked incredibly well and was a nice, balanced, and not too sweet dessert. Last but not least, the little shot was nice and refreshing (and I should say, the order to it eat was from the right to the left).

The final course was the “Heart of Vania (blackberry, rosemary, yogurt)”, which looked amazingly lovely, and it was actually superbly tasty too. The only thing I found a bit too intense were the red berries, as their acidity was a bit too much for my personal gusto.

Finally, the “Petit Fours” were served, which were a great ending to an amazing dinner.

And frankly, that was not just great because of the great food, but also because there were so many details, which were absolutely lovely. Like the napkin, which had this Asian lady depicted on one side …

… and a sumo on the other.

But on top of that, it is not only that the place had two Michelin stars (deserved!), but also that they really managed to excel in their service. There were a ton of waiters and waitresses and despite the fact that there were many, they really made sure that there was someone around whenever you needed someone, but they also made sure that they would never bother you. Close to flawless – only once, my wine glass stayed empty for half a minute, if you have to find something.

On top of all of it, the place is also lovely in terms of interior decoration, and since the place is called ocean, you will find a lot of corals on display, which makes it look quite lovely.

Apparently, the view onto the ocean (hence, the name) is breathtaking, but if you go for dinner during winter time, you won’t see much but darkness. In any case, the place isn’t huge, and I would highly recommend you to book a table in advance in high season.

Rating:

Atmosphere:
Service:
Dishes:
Price-Performance Ratio:
Overall Rating:

Contact Details:

Restaurant Ocean

VILA VITA Parc

R. Anneliese Pohl

Alporchinhos

8400-450 Porches (PT)

Tel.: +351 282 310 100

E-Mail: restauranteocean@vilavitaparc.com

Homepage: http://www.restauranteocean.com

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.