Vila Joya Restaurant in Algarve

Posted on October 22, 2007
Filed Under Restaurants

A number of years ago, some friends and I decided, celebrating birthday “week” had so many more advantages then just birthday day, so I’ve kept on the tradition. And why not, you only live once! With that objective in mind, we squeezed as much out of the week as possible and made this year all about Algarve food and wine.

Having recently seen Vila Joya’s nomination for the World Travel awards and their 2 Michelin stars, we were curious as to what all the fuss was about and if in fact they deserved these coveted stars. Loving food as much as we do, and having been to a good number of great restaurants over the years, we thought we were well equipped to put Vila Joya Restaurant to the test.

Vila Joya is in a quiet area of Albufeira, so discrete in fact we had a hard time finding the entrance. But their gracious host and maître d’, was wonderful in directing us to the gate.

The beautifully manicured courtyard was impeccable and provided comfortable space for parking, while the elegant pathway to the front door lit trees like bright jewels. Walking in the restaurant, we felt a sense of calm and tradition that hinted of a marriage between traditional Portuguese Quintas and a subtle Asian influence. At the entrance the Maître d’ welcomed us to “Paradise”, being a little cynical of the ado, I wondered…would it really be that good….we’d wait and see.

We were given the choice of having a seat at the bar, pool or straight to the table. Curious to see as much as possible, but famished we chose the bar. The bar didn’t have much of a bar feel, it was most definitely more lounge than bar, outfitted with classic creams, browns and bold dashes of blood red Louis like chairs and feather filled couches adorned with pillows that you sink into like quicksand. Servers wore Zen like uniforms, spoke in multiple languages and graciously hustled to meet guest requests. Nestled in a corner a piano player’s fingers tickled the keys of a black baby grand, entertaining both bar and dining guests alike. The bar/lounge was open to the patio where guests with families enjoyed their meal with a spectacular moon lit view over the ocean. Vila Joya backs directly onto the cliff tops of Praia de Gale, a secluded beach that makes for wonderfully romantic walks.

The Maître d’ caught my eye and motioned to check if we were ready for our table; although the lounge was incredibly relaxing, our taste buds were calling. Within in a few steps we were in an intimate dining room with approximately 7 other tables, all of which were occupied except one. The last available table was next to the glass wall over looking the terrace, fortunately this was our table. As we sat, it was clear every detail to prepare for our dining experience had been considered - even the red rose petal resting high atop the perfectly pressed and folded napkin in front of each setting. Behind us, we could hear the ocean waves gently crashing meters below, we hadn’t eaten a thing yet, but we were slowing being bought by this forcible calm and our anticipation grew. The hand written menu provided us with a glimpse of what the night would bring.

Vila Joya Restaurant

Our hostess took us through the choices and we were off to the races, or so we thought. The set menu provided delicious looking choices, we had two simple tasks, choose a meat dish and a wine. Choosing the meat dish, left us stuck right way, so we succumbed to the only logical choice, we each got a different one. This should fix the dilemma and not delay any pending arrivals to our table. One down one to go…now the wine, considering how many great wines are in Portugal we found the wine list quite short, but trusted in the choices paired for the menu and chose a red, Quinta da Leda.

With the hard choices behind us, we were ready to wait for deliciousness to arrive at our table. Within a minute a ballet of white Zen uniformed servers arrive at our table with water, wine, olive oil, tapenade, cheese and a selection of artfully baked breads. Shortly after, something of a mystery arrives at our table, a beautiful white bowl with two high sides, our hostess softly announces, “here we have a Chef’s surprise”. Now who can say no to that? Next obvious question…what is it?! Melon soup with crawfish…waaaahhh! Not a common combination…seafood and fruit, the result incredible, and the crawfish were perfectly cooked. The following plate was another “Chef’s surprise” which included 3-4 smaller plates within it, each a sample of interesting combination of caviar/salmon/cucumber, a fish/date dumpling and pesto with quail egg…from there it’s all a blur of flavor nirvana and what we thought would be a 5 course meal hovered somewhere around 10 courses with all of the “Chef’s surprises”, but you won’t hear any complaints from me, except I was too full to finish my dessert… In my attempt to recall the combinations and plates, I enlisted Moses’ help, but we quickly realized its far to painful to reach back into such a meal and recall the details without actually having another reservation booked to do it all again.

So, did Vila Joya pass the test? I was originally a bit pessimistic mostly because of the hype than the belief it could be a true 2 star Michelin restaurant. There have been a few spots we visited over the years in various countries that profess Michelin star rating, but seem to have a hard time holding up to the standard. Well I’m happy and proud to have a restaurant like Vila Joya here in the Algarve. Chef Dieter Koschina from Austria has adapted beautifully to the Algarve and incorporates as many local products as possible, and the freshness shows, clearly an outstanding chef with incredible taste. The staff were extremely professional, diverse and exceptionally friendly. Without a doubt this is a spectacular restaurant most deserving of all of their stars — the host was correct, paradise found!

If you’ve thought about Vila Joya, don’t hesitate to go, but do book in advance so you’re not disappointed.

*Note: like the products we occasionally mention on AlgarveBuzz, we are not compensated for our comments or reviews the opinions we share are from our own experiences.

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Comments

12 Responses to “Vila Joya Restaurant in Algarve”

MoveToPortugal on October 23rd, 2007 7:46 am

Looks great!
Sorry I missed your birthday, hope you had a great week:)
Nick on October 26th, 2007 9:04 am

Great review and wonderful writing - I’m looking forward to devouring the rest of your stories!
Eddie on October 26th, 2007 7:08 pm

Laura: Thank you for the Birthday wishes…this place can throw the budget a bit out of balance…but sooo good, its worth putting some aside for this treat. Maybe an anniversary…

Nick: Thank you for the kind words, good food inspires me to no end…guess it feeds my soul so to speak. We’ve got a good list of places we’ve been to and want to go to…so stay tuned ;o)
Algarve Restaurant Guide - Chinese Gourmet Restaurant on November 8th, 2007 7:12 pm

[...] Vila Joya Restaurant [...]
Steve Hes on December 9th, 2007 7:48 pm

Thanks for the review. I was trying to decide whether to try this destination next summer. You’ve helped me to decide - it looks like we’re off to Vila Joya. Great!
Eddie on December 11th, 2007 8:29 pm

Hi Steve, Glad to hear our review was helpful and you’re coming to our backyard so to speak. If you love food and like pampering…who doesn’t!? I think you’ll really enjoy it. If you have questions drop us a line, and by the time you get here we’ll hopefully have even more great places for you to discover during your visit. So, check back and let us know what you think!
Haute Cuisine - Gastronomy Festival - Vila Joya - Algarve on January 12th, 2008 8:21 pm

[...] maybe why the 2nd annual Haute Cuisine - Gastronomy Festival is being hosted in the Algarve at Vila Joya. Twelve of the world’s best chefs will be cooking up absolute deliciousness from Jan. 13 to 19. [...]
T Smith on March 1st, 2008 5:45 pm

Have just found out about this restaurant and we’re on holiday in Gale for a week next month and really fancy trying it. Could you give me an indication of cost for a meal there? If we went at lunch time would it be appropriate to bring kids (age 14 & 10)

Thanks.
Eddie on March 1st, 2008 7:56 pm

Ola T,

Nice pick. The evening we went there were families having dinner on the patio overlooking the ocean. The atmosphere is elegant but not stuffy, so would say kids (especially the ages you mention) would be welcomed there for most meals. I would just suggest you let them know when booking, so they find the most comfortable seating for you.

We haven’t been for lunch yet, but dinner was aprox. 120eu. per person, on a fixed menu with wine and drinks separate. Hope that helps, enjoy!
Algarve Restaurants Info on March 11th, 2008 12:12 am

We went there for lunch, and personally if you are going there in the summer then i think this is much better. The patio tables with panoramic sea views really cannot be beaten, with the sun shining and spotless blue skys it really does not get any better!

For lunch they do a slightly slimmed down menu (if you can call it that) of 7 tasting courses, all big portions in their own right! Lunch comes to roughly 90 euro per person.

p.s. you will need to book in advance!
A Guide to the Algarve from TheAlgarveinfo.com on March 11th, 2009 1:24 pm

[...] just follow the Michelin stars. The only restaurant in the Algarve to be awarded 2 Michelin stars, Vila Joya has a stunning location to complement the stunning food. With one star each, Willies in Vilamoura, [...]
H Ciarlini on May 25th, 2009 10:20 pm

One of the best restaurants ever!
Dinner was a bit more than 400 euros but worth it …