A FLAIR FOR FUSION
Orient meets Occident
One of Lisbon’s top chefs is coming to London to co-produce a midweek four course evening meal with Portuguese produce and eastern flavours.
‘Our roots and traditions are always present in all the dishes that we create.’
IN JANUARY 2015, João Rodrigues, executive head chef at the one Michelin starred Feitoria Restaurant in the Altis Belém Hotel & Spa, Lisbon, will be flying in to London to stamp his mark on the TASTE PORTUGAL programme, by collaborating with Luís Baena at the Notting Hill Kitchen to produce a midweek four course evening meal to really help guests shake off those post-festive season blues.
Rodrigues, who is inspired by the spirit of the Portuguese explorers of the Golden Age and by the routes that they discovered, bases his dishes on the traditions of Portuguese gastronomy with a hint of exotic flavours from other parts of the world. A meal at his restaurant, Feitoria, offers diners a journey across the globe. Baena too is inspired by his travels, in particular to Japan, and so the two chefs are bound to work well together to cook up an inspired and international menu, showcasing the best of Portuguese produce, flavours and traditions, with hints of the Orient and plenty of far-flung fusion flair.
‘I think it’s in our blood, you know?’ Baena says, speaking of the love of the Portuguese for fused and integrated gastronomy. ‘We have always loved those kind of melting pots. If you want a cuisine that can really reflect the trend for fusion cuisine historically, Portuguese is it.’
Asked to describe his culinary philosophy, Rodrigues says: ‘I like to use local products from small producers, everything organic, and a strong Portuguese cultural influence with a twist. My cuisine is all very natural in order to keep the flavours the most authentic as possible. In my kitchen, the most important ingredient is the quality of the product.
‘Our roots and traditions are always present in all the dishes that we create,’ Rodrigues continues, and, with a menu including Algarve scarlet prawn, pink Berlengas swordfish and Alentejo milk-fed goat, there is an undeniable Portuguese basis to dinner, which, of course, will be accompanied by a range of carefully selected Portuguese wines, chosen and presented by TASTE PORTUGAL’s sommelier, Antonio Lopes. To find out how each chef will implement his own special techniques and leave his stamp on the ingredients, come along to the Notting Hill Kitchen on 21 January 2015 and find out for yourselves!
Reservations via reservations@tasteportugal-london.com
