In Latin, “austa” means “personified south wind”. It’s a way of paying tribute to the Algarve, that very special region in southern Portugal, inspired as much by the Atlantic as by the Mediterranean. A sensation, a concept that has taken shape through the restaurant of the same name, and which borrows from heritage, producers, local crafts and artisan traditions. Opened last August, the establishment owes its existence to two Britons, Emma and David Campus, who are passionate about design, art and wine. It’s a passion that Emma developed with her parents, who opened an art of living boutique in the region in the early 2000s.
A love that translates into the table and its rich menu. Together with chef David Barata, the duo has built a menu that changes and evolves with the seasons, with local produce and simplicity as the common thread. Working with a small number of specialised suppliers and winemakers across Portugal and neighbouring Spain, Austa seeks to source wines of character, in small quantities, which customers are invited to discover by the glass.
The restaurant offers tasty breakfasts featuring organic poached eggs nestled in roasted Hokkaido pumpkin and toasted seeds, as well as toasted sourdough toast. The creamy yoghurt that accompanies the organic banana bread is made from goat’s milk fermented for 16 hours. Pastries from small local artisanal bakeries complete this fine appetiser, to be enjoyed with wild lavender honey from one of the Algarve’s only organic honey producers.
For lunchtime, the cuisine also evolves with the harvests and catches of the producers, but will always start with sourdough bread, served with olive oil from a small producer in Évora. Whipped pork lard comes, rather than butter, to emphasise the use of “by-products” that are so often considered waste from the Algarve’s abundant pork production. The artisanal cheese and charcuterie platters offered at breakfast are repeated at lunch, along with a plate of smoked fish. Once autumn arrives, a wild boar croquette makes its entrance! Feta from a small Dutch producer in Monchique is paired with roasted pumpkin, while dried yellowtail, or yellowfin tuna, depending on the fisherman’s catch, is accompanied by tomato dashi.
Finally, pork neck from Feito no Zambujal and leaves from the garden or octopus from Santa Luzia, pil pil and leeks from the garden are to be found on large plates to share. Bold, original recipes that highlight the region’s producers.
The evening menu offers more sophisticated dishes. As autumn approaches, Viseu’s first wild mushrooms are served with a hollandaise sauce. On the meat side, lamb and pork are selected from the best farms in the Algarve, Alentejo and, on the Spanish side, Andalusia. No worries for vegetarians and vegans, the chef offers a recipe based on fermented cabbage grilled with “massa de pimentão” and chickpeas, but also an umami alternative to the Algarve’s “xerém” where seaweed from a small producer on the Ria Formosa is used instead of seafood.
Hospitality is just one aspect of the austa experience, which is further explored in the form of Emma and David’s “Mercearia” (grocery store) within the space. Plates and crockery from austa’s collective of Portuguese artisans, and unique finds from the couple’s travels, move from the tables to the store’s shelves, which guests can take home with them.
Equally, cookbooks and creative books on subjects such as sea salt, spoons and ceramics complement scented products from Algarvian natural brand 8950 and London perfumer H in aromas such as ink, smoke, salt and marmalade – all designed around the idea of creating enduring memories around the culinary experience.
The objects and curiosities extend to consumables such as speciality coffee from austa’s roastery, Bean 17 from Loulé, salt from Sal Marim, and soon their own range of jams, preserves, pickles and condiments made of produce from austa’s garden and orchards.
An authentic address full of discoveries.
Austa
Rua Cristovao Pires Norte 117, Almancil
Portugal – Almancil