Nuno Mendes to launch restaurant in Porto
In the city’s riverside Largo de São Domingos area, Cozinha das Flores will celebrate the food culture, wines, techniques, and ingredients of Northern Portugal.
Originally from Lisbon, Mendes made his name in London at venues including Viajante, Chiltern Firehouse, Mãos and his current flagship Lisboeta but returned to his home city a few years ago to launch a number of restaurants at Lisbon's Bairro Alto Hotel.
He is understood to no longer be involved with the project he oversaw as creative director for food and beverage, which included fine dining restaurant BAHR.
Example dishes include sweet prawn and steamed egg cake with presunto balchão; s savoury take on pastel de nata involving turnip; and grilled john dory, poached and fermented greens, smoked butter, fish roe sauce.
The adjacent 12-seat bar Flôr - meanwhile - will ‘embrace a fun and contemporary’ take on Portugal’s global food culture, serving a light breakfast in the morning and a menu of inventive cocktails through day and night, with mixologist Tatiana Cardoso at the helm.
Cozinha das Flores and Flôr form part of adjoining sister project, The Largo — 18 rooms across five heritage buildings — that will open later this year.
“My hope is that both Cozinha das Flores and Flôr will become an integral part of the city of Porto, a ‘home’ for both locals and visitors alike; a welcoming, convivial and bohemian experience suitable for anytime of the day or occasion. We’ve given a lot of thought to our offering and space, but I really would love our guests to come out of Cozinha das Flores and say, ‘man, this place is fun!’”
His Lisboeta restaurant on Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street was named One to Watch at Restaurant’s National Restaurant Awards.
