We really enjoy eating traditional Portuguese food, but we do love it when we have the opportunity to try something different, either Portuguese food with a twist or cuisine from a different culture entirely. That’s why we were so excited to hear that Francisca Dias, the head chef of one of our favourite restaurants in the whole country (Casa Gadanha in Estremoz), was coming back to her roots in Mação to host a supper club. We knew the food was not going to be ordinary, and indeed, it turned out to be extraordinary!
Who is Francisca Dias?
Francisca Dias became a household name in Portugal when she won Hell’s Kitchen Portugal in 2021 at the age of 29. Previous to this she had already worked at a range of high quality restaurants including the Michelin-starred Feitoria in Lisbon, where she worked alongside renowned chef João Rodriguez. Other people who have inspired her love for food and cooking are her maternal grandmother and mother, who cook and bake using traditional methods and ingredients from the kitchen garden.
The supper club
It was at her family home in Pereiro, Mação where we found ourselves one August evening, excited to be eating her cuisine without the 1.5 hour drive to Estremoz! Francisca, her wife Tania, and her mother had converted part of the family house into a family-style eatery for almost 30 people. The meal got off to a wonderful start with her mother’s home baked bread which was out of this world. It was served with a delicious bacon butter with crispy onions, and we had to exert a real effort not to fill our bellies before the courses had even started arriving. Francisca and Tania then served a series of Peruvian and Asian-inspired dishes, starting with a Thai fish salad topped with a rice crisp, followed by Papas Rellenas (a type of potato croquette stuffed with beef and topped with a pepper salsa) and then shellfish and mushrooms served with the most delicious Peruvian fried rice. To finish this dreamy culinary experience, we were served a pistachio zabaglione - a creamy indulgent pudding that hid 'berried' treasures! All of this was served with a passion fruit sangria, and wines from local winery Quinta do Armo, and Nunes Barata.
The food was delicious, beautiful and delicate, the service friendly yet professional, and the ambience intimate and humble. It was great to see one of our favourite chefs on her home ground, where we are now lucky enough to live. We hope you will repeat the experience Francisca, count us in for next time!
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