Madeira

This Month in Madeira:

Shopping: A little inland from Funchal, the village of Camacha is famed for its wicker, much of it on sale in O Relógio, a giant showroom on several floors. As well as wicker baskets, chairs and souvenirs, you can also buy various handicrafts, clothes and liqueurs (12 Largo Conselheiro Aires de Ornelas, Camacha, tel: 291 922 777).

Sightseeing: May starts with the Feast of Saint Tiago Menor, for Funchal's patron saint, with festivities and events around the old town; and ends with the Sé Festivities, with a week of live music, performances and stalls in the streets between the cathedral and the Praça do Município

Key areas: It's worth the steep climb to the Fortaleza do Pico for stunning views back over town from a 17th-century fort, which has a small exhibition room open to the public.

Madeira News & Gossip

Portuguese Cuisine

Whenever food critics feast their way around Europe, Portugal never gets a look in. They say Italian gastronomy is rich and passionate. Spanish dishes are soulful. And the best French meals are like carefully crafted paintings. Portuguese food, meanwhile, is wholesome. Or robust. Or forgotten altogether.

And it's easy to see why. As recently as 2005, Portugal had only eight Michelin stars to its name (France had 620 in the same year) and connoisseurs were consistently shunning food from Europe's westernmost frontier in favour of reliably delicious dishes from elsewhere on the continent. Back then, even Sweden, which is well known for its simple food, managed to pick up one more star than Portugal. But things are changing - and quickly.

For the past three months, the "Stars Route" (Rota das Estrelas) food festival has seen some of the world's most distinguished chefs chopping, sautéing and braising their way through the country's Michelin-starred restaurants with one shared mission: to put Portuguese food firmly on the map. Until recently, the idea was unthinkable, but when organisers finish packing away after this month's closing event in Lisbon, they might wonder why they didn't do it sooner.

"The time is now for Portuguese cuisine," says Albano Lourenço, executive chef at the Michelin-starred Arcadas da Capela restaurant in Coimbra (90 minutes from Porto) and one of the rising Portuguese stars taking part in the festival. "High-quality produce is now more widely available, and that allows for an upgrade of what we offer. The world is taking notice and journalists are interested in what we are doing in this 'garden by the Atlantic'."

He's right. Visit Portugal and Madeira today and you'll notice menus have been overhauled. Think citrusy lobster salads and fresh, edible flowers, not bacalhau (salted cod) or piri-piri chicken with French fries followed by a custard tart.

"Portuguese food is seen as heavy and unsophisticated, which simply doesn't represent reality," Albano says. "Our cuisine has a traditional root, that's for sure, but it also has elegance."

That's exactly what the Stars Route set about to prove. Launched at The Cliff Bay, a luxury hotel built into the craggy cliffs of Funchal, Madeira, the festival has gone on to tour fine-dining establishments in the Algarve and Coimbra (which served as Portugal's capital city during the 12th century) and winds up this month at Eleven - Lisbon's first-ever Michelin-starred restaurant. At each event, guests have been given the chance to sample "nouvelle Portuguese" first-hand, with up to three Michelin-starred chefs working on a diner's meal at the same time.

Most of these top chefs aren't actually from Portugal, but elsewhere in Europe, which gives you some idea as to how the country's culinary landscape is changing. Among those taking part are Benoît Sinthon, the French head chef at The Cliff Bay's Il Gallo d'Oro, which became the first restaurant on Madeira to earn a Michelin star, and Hans Johann Neuner, an Austrian luminary who specialises in re-inventing traditional recipes. Also involved is German chef Joachim Koerper, who worked at some of Paris' most celebrated restaurants - including Bernard Pacaud's L'Ambroisie - before taking the helm at Eleven.

"Portugal has four outstanding products," says Joachim Koerper. "Port wine, cheese, fish and the black-footed Iberian pig. They are unique, of very high quality and our clients love them."

On the island of Madeira, Benoît Sinthon, who is a well-known champion of local ingredients, goes further. "Every week I go to a small quinta [farm] to personally hand-pick herbs, as these provide the crowning glory for the dishes I create. Apart from highlighting the visual effect and the flavour of the food, I take the opportunity to spread the word that Madeira is a garden - a garden where I can obtain these incredible products."

This surge of interest in modern Portuguese cuisine isn't just limited to the kitchens of five-star hotels and swanky restaurants. Around the world, culinary critics are finally giving recognition to the new breed of Portuguese food that fuses fresh, local ingredients with the kind of wanton creativity that set foodie capitals like Paris and Bologna alight. Even as far away as Canada, comida Portuguesa is attracting an influential following. Organisers of the annual Montreal High Lights Festival, which aims to promote culinary diversity in the city, chose Portugal as this year's featured country.

For the most part, getting to grips with Portugal's culinary revolution is expensive. The set menu at The Cliff Bay's Il Gallo d'Oro costs almost €100 for two. At Joachim Koerper's Eleven, a single course is €25 or more. Much cheaper (and yet still an experience) is JA à Mesa, the "budget" offering from José Avillez - a Portuguese celebrity chef who has been described as a cross between Jamie Oliver and Heston Blumenthal. He offers guests five different menus to choose from, with Portuguese dishes starting from as little as €4.50 each.

"The future looks bright," says Benoît Sinthon. "Portuguese and Madeiran cuisine is growing and evolving. It's necessary to promote the top products from the regions and put them in the limelight so that they can become recognised throughout the world. The reason that Rioja wine and Parma ham are symbols of their regions is that someone worked hard and marketed them well. We must do the same."

Other chefs, including Portuguese native Albano Lourenço, aren't as confident. While he describes Portuguese food as one of the world's great "unknown" cuisines, he warns that it doesn't travel as well as most other southern European cooking styles. "Portuguese cuisine without Portuguese ingredients (fresh fish and seafood, country-raised meats, savoury vegetables and fruits) is often not the same."

But, he adds: "I see the younger generations more involved with food in their homes and in restaurants they visit. This fosters the increasing importance of food in society and helps to make it stand out as a cultural wonder of the country - something worth travelling to Portugal for."

HERE'S OUR PICK OF PORTUGAL'S BEST RESTAURANTS

LISBON
ELEVEN
Joachim Koerper's Eleven is set in lush gardens overlooking the city. The Michelin-starred restaurant is renowned for its innovative, seasonal take on classic Mediterranean cuisine. Rua Marquês da Fronteira, Jardim Amália Rodrigues, Lisbon, tel: +351 213 862 211, www.restauranteleven.com

CASA DA COMIDA
Specialities at this Portuguese gem include pan-fried pigeon with rice and roasted cow cheek in a red wine sauce. Ask for a table outside in the garden. 1 Travessa das Amoreiras, Lisbon, tel: +351 213 885 376, www.casadacomida.pt

PORTO
SHIS
Elegant Portuguese, Mediterranean and Japanese dishes served up on an impressive waterfront terrace. Praia do Ourigo, Esplanada do Castelo, Foz do Douro, Porto, tel: +351 226 189 593, www.shisrestaurante.com

BULL & BEAR
Located under Porto's old stock exchange building, the Bull & Bear is a solid bet for traditional Portuguese cuisine with a fine-dining twist. 3431 Avenida da Boavista, Porto, tel: +351 226 107 669, www.bbgourmet.net

MADEIRA
QUINTA PALMEIRA
Quinta Palmeira is one of Madeira's finest restaurants, housed in an attractive 18th-century townhouse in downtown Funchal. Locally grown ingredients like passion fruit and banana add a bit of zest to classic Portuguese dishes. 17-19 Avenida do Infante, Funchal, Madeira, tel: +351 291 221 814, www.quintapalmeira.com

IL GALLO D'ORO
Madeira's first restaurant with a Michelin star, and one of the few places to still demand that gentlemen wear a jacket or tie, Il Gallo d'Oro simply oozes old-world charm. Expect international flavours fused with only the best Madeiran ingredients. The Cliff Bay Hotel, 147 Estrada Monumental, Funchal, Madeira, tel: +351 291 707 700, www.portobay.com

FARO
THE OCEAN AT VILA VITA PARC
More than 70% of the food at Hans Neuner's Michelin-starred The Ocean (in the Vila Vita Parc resort) is produced locally - much of it on the hotel's own organic farm. The result is fresh, gourmet cuisine and a menu that changes weekly. Vila Vita Parc, Alporchinhos, Porches, tel: +351 282 310 100, www.vilavitahotels.com

VILA JOYA
The only restaurant in Portugal with two Michelin stars, Vila Joya is famous for its culinary creativity and extravagant, eight-course gala dinners, all overseen by star chef Dieter Koschina. Praia da Galé, Albufeira, tel: +351 289 591 795, www.vilajoya.com

Madeira Trivia

• May: Funchal is one of the world's hot spots for cruise ships - in 2011 alone, more than half a million passengers visited Funchal harbour from passing cruises.

• April: Christopher Colombus lived in Funchal in 1484 after marrying a local girl, the daughter of the governor of Porto Santo.

• March: It's claimed that the American Declaration of Independence was toasted with a glass of Madeira wine.

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