Il Gallo d'Oro - Exquisite Cuisine of Benoît Sinton

Two words: Avocado cannoli.

Those probably aren’t the exact words they use at Il Gallo d’Oro, a two-star Michelin restaurant at the Cliff Bay hotel in Funchal. But that’s what that perfect little dish, part of an hours-long tasting menu, actually is.

And it’s undoubtedly delicious. And creative and playful and very 2019. Which is true of the entire menu here. French chef Benoît Sinthon has run the kitchen here since 2004. He received his first Michelin star in 2009 and his second in 2017.

Sinthon creations: (at top) Pombo Eucalyptus; (above) Lobster; (below) Creamy Valrhona

That doesn’t mean he’s resting on his laurels. Rather, he’s striving to make a fine cuisine from Madeiran ingredients with Iberian and Mediterranean influences. Above all, it is inventive. Just 30 guests a night get to try his clever dishes, which have names like Discovery of the Sea Route (tuna tataki with passion fruit ponzu and braised watermelon) and Cristal Waves (fillet of parrot fish with a pillow of celery and fennel with orange sauce).