The Algarve’s Vale do Lobo resort is gearing up to delight diners this Christmas and New Year with a range of unique festive celebration menus at its Tinto and SMASH restaurants.
Tinto, known for its outstanding contemporary take on authentic Portuguese flavours, will be showcasing the country’s rich culinary heritage with its memorable Christmas menu. Diners will be treated to seven flavour moments, starting with a creamy fish soup with parsley foam.
Honouring Portugal’s enduring relationship with the ocean, there will be two fish dishes: Algarve octopus and salted codfish with chickpeas. The latter will strike a chord with all those familiar with Portuguese Christmas feasts.
After a palate-cleansing foam of lemon and mint, the turkey will be served with a special festive Tinto twist. Asparagus, chestnuts, pinenuts, and Madeira wine will complement the turkey perfectly, leaving just enough room for dessert: Christmas pudding with port wine sorbet.
Tinto’s superb Christmas menu is available for €120 or for €195 with wine pairings. The menu can be paired with champagne for €250 per head for an extra special Christmas treat.
Diners can eat in at Tinto (pre-booking is essential), or, for Vale do Lobo residents who want Christmas at home, the festive feast can be delivered to their door at no additional cost.
Looking ahead to the New Year, Tinto is serving another exquisite and unique menu. Diners are invited to eat from 8 p.m. and enjoy a glass of champagne with customary raisins at midnight. The 12 raisins are eaten in time with the chimes of the clock as the New Year begins in the hope of happiness and prosperity during the year ahead.
Before the champagne toast, diners will be taken on a journey of flavours, starting with scallops with parsnip, tiger milk and yuzu. Next comes Foie Gras with port wine jelly, followed by a delightfully comforting broth with rich chestnut, truffle, and coriander notes. To cleanse the palate, Corvina will be served with pumpkin rice before a lime and balsamic sorbet. It will be followed by beef with Aljezur sweet potatoes, which is paired with asparagus, pinenuts and port and balanced by a dish of peas, soy and olives.
The crowning glory will be a serving of ‘sericaia’ – a kind of cinnamon pudding cake – served with passion fruit and salted caramel ice cream. The eight-moment menu costs €180 per person or €240 with wine.
For families, Vale do Lobo’s SMASH restaurant offers an inclusive dining experience to remember on 31st December. As diners settle in for the evening, a selection of traditional breads with sparkling Pinta Negra will be served. After that, they can choose between the delicately flavoured ‘À Brás Vegetariano’ or an exotic corvina ceviche served with tiger milk, sweet potato, pickled red onion, sea fingers, and samphire.
For main dishes, the options include a pavê of corvina layered with polenta and cockles, cherry tomatoes in sparkling wine and coriander broth, salmon and wasabi caviar, or succulent Black Angus beef accompanied by potato gratin with white truffle, organic vegetables, purple carrot puree, thyme, and lemon jus.
For those who still have room, a selection of desserts will be available, including a classic apple tart, a wonderfully light fruit salad and a richly indulgent banoffee delight. The menu costs €85 per diner, which includes a glass of sparkling wine to welcome in the New Year at midnight.
Younger diners can enjoy SMASH’s delicious New Year’s Eve menu, which includes starters, a main course of pizza or pasta, dessert, and drinks at a cost of €40 per head.
Reservations are currently available at both Tinto and SMASH for these distinctive culinary experiences.
Eduardo Johnston da Silva, Managing Director of Vale do Lobo, commented, “There are so many cherished moments made at Vale do Lobo and this Christmas and New Year, we are delighted to be delivering exceptional gastronomic experiences that will create lasting memories for all who share these special festive occasions with us.”
For more information, call (+ 351) 289 353 101 or visit www.valedolobo.com.
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