Porto, a city already rich in creativity, passion and great food, welcomes a star of the international culinary world. Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes, who gained attention and acclaim while at the helm of the celebrity watering hole Chiltern Firehouse in London, returns to Portugal to headline Cozinha das Flores in Porto. Located in the historic center of the city, Mendes “celebrates the food culture, wines, techniques and ingredients of Portugal’s North.”
Besides being a master culinary technician, Chef Nuno’s is an ebullient host and all-round fun guy. He wants Cozinha das Flores to be “a welcoming, convivial and bohemian experience suitable for anytime of the day or occasion.”
This “sentiment” begins with the first appearance. Therefore, Danish designers Space Copenhagen created a 10-table dining room with modern, cosmopolitan ambiance. Dark wood chairs and tables sit on stone tile floors. Ceramic tile works of art, prominent on the large wall behind the banquette, are painted by Pritzker-award-winning architect (and Porto native) Álvaro Siza Vieira. The striking black marble open kitchen is, no doubt, the “stage” of the room, where the theatrics of meal preparation play out in front of the guests.
There’s a lot of coolness in Cozinha das Flores, but the “proof is in the pudding,” as they say. Here, of course, Chef Nuno does not disappoint. He has a knack for taking traditional or memorable dishes from his childhood, throwing in a lot of cheffy techniques and a large dose of creativity to place something beautiful, fun and delicious on the plate.
Starters, for instance, include Turnip Natas, based on the beloved pastel de nata, but transformed into a savory wonder of creamy turnip custard, topped with caviar in a puff pastry cup; or the Giant squid noodles with white beans and cod tripe stew, fragrant with citrus and dill.
Mouthwatering mains include Grilled pork, cabbage and enchidos, and Grilled John Dory, poached and fermented greens, smoked butter, fish roe sauce.
Given the unique plates in the first courses, we had to image that the dessert course should be a thrill. The problem: what to choose? The couple at the next table couldn’t decide…so they picked three! Thank goodness for this as they whole-hearted said Milk was the most interesting. Sure enough, this rather vanilla-looking dish in different textures, which Chef Nuno created from his memories of working on his father’s Alentejo dairy farm, was delicate, creamy, ….and dreamy!
Kudos go out to Sommelier Gabriel Monteiro too. When asked which wine to order by the glass, he quickly suggested leaving the table to meet at a stand-up wine counter. There, he poured several glasses from small Portuguese producers, discussing why each one would complement the dinner. The choice was difficult, so a different label was ordered for each of the three courses!
Before or after the meal, step into Flôr, the adjoining 12-seat bar. Mixologist Tatiana Cardoso concocts innovative beverages inspired by Portuguese culture such as Clichèd, made from gin, cod distillation, coriander, apple and amaranth.
Cozinha das Flores is open for lunch too!….Tuesdays to Saturdays.
For more information, visit the Cozinha das Flores website.
Cozinha das Flores
62 Largo de São Domingos
Porto
Reservations
Phone: +351 229 760 001
Email: dine@CozinhaDasFlores.com
Hours:
Lunch – Tuesday to Saturday – 12:00 to 15:30
Every day – 18:30 to 24:00
Interior photos: Luís Moreira | Food photos: Guilherme Marques
