Top Portuguese chef takes the helm at Tivoli Carvoeiro

A new Executive Chef has been brought in at Tivoli Carvoeiro on Portugal’s Algarve coast to head up the hotel’s gastronomic offering.

Bruno Augusto, who grew up in a small town in the centre of the country, discovered his passion for cooking during childhood while helping his mother and grandmother prepare traditional sweets. After undertaking professional training, he kicked off his professional career with stints in Michelin-starred restaurants such as Eleven and Ocean in Portugal and Grand Hôtel du Lac in Switzerland, and has also worked at Penha Longa Ritz-Carlton Resort in Sintra and Four Seasons Hotel Ritz in Lisbon.

An advocate of simple cuisine made from regional ingredients, with a strong respect for seasonality, Augusto’s culinary ethos involves preserving authentic flavours rather than over-transforming products. At Tivoli Carvoeiro, he has been tasked with launching a new menu at The One Restaurant, one of five F&B venues at the property.

“I am a fan of the most typical flavours and traditional Portuguese cuisine,” he says. “I try to give an original presentation to traditional dishes, without ever forgetting products’ roots.”

The new menu features a variety of tapas with flavours from the Algarve, like grilled scallops with confit pork and cauliflower purée and tuna tartare with tropical fruit chutney and crispy peas. Fish dishes include lobster with polenta and John Dory with aubergine, while meat lovers are catered for by tomahawk steak with green pepper sauce and Algarvian potatoes and wild-boar tenderloin with vegetables and red-fruit sauce, and the local medronhos tartlet makes an appearance on the dessert list.

There is also a €75 tasting menu, or €65 for the meat-free version, accompanied by optional wine-pairings selected by Sommelier Francisco Meira. Wine flights are priced at €35 per person.

Coinciding with Augusto’s arrival, The One Restaurant has been fully redecorated. The new-look space boasts a large Art Deco-style emerald-green sofa, while also showcasing the venue’s eye-catching views over the surrounding cliffs and sea.