“Austa” comes from the Latin word auster, meaning “southern wind.” It’s a way of paying homage to the Algarve, this unique region of southern Portugal, inspired by both the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas. This feeling, and this concept, has taken shape in the restaurant of the same name, drawing on local heritage, craftsmanship, producers, and artisanal traditions.
Opened last August, the establishment owes its existence to two British people, Emma and David CampusPassionate about design, art and wine. A taste that Emma developed from her parents who had opened a lifestyle boutique in the region in the early 2000s. A love that is reflected in the richness of the wine list.
With the chef David BarataThe duo has created a menu that changes and evolves with the seasons, with local produce and simplicity as its guiding principles. Working with a small number of specialized suppliers and winemakers across Portugal and neighboring Spain, Austa sources characterful wines in small quantities, which customers are invited to discover by the glass.
The restaurant offers delicious breakfasts featuring organic poached eggs nestled in a roasted Hokkaido pumpkin, topped with toasted seeds, and served with toasted sourdough bread. The creamy yogurt accompanying the organic banana bread is made with goat's milk fermented for sixteen hours. Pastries from small, local artisan bakeries round out this delightful start, best enjoyed with wild lavender honey from one of the Algarve's few organic honey producers.
For lunchtime, the menu also evolves with the harvests and produce available from the producers, but will always begin with sourdough bread, served with olive oil from a small producer in Évora. pork lard Whipped cream, rather than butter, highlights the use of "by-products" so often considered waste from the Algarve's abundant pork production. The cheese and artisanal charcuterie platters offered at breakfast are also available at lunch, along with a smoked fish platter. Once autumn arrives, a wild boar croquette makes its debut!
La Feta from a small Dutch producer in Monchique is paired with roasted pumpkin, while dried amberjack or yellowfin tuna, depending on the fisherman's catch, are accompanied by tomato dashi.
Finally, the neck of Feito no Zambujal pork and the leaves from the garden or the Santa Luzia octopusPil pil and garden leeks are featured in large sharing plates. These are bold and original recipes that showcase local producers.
The evening menu offers more sophisticated dishes. As autumn approaches, the first wild mushrooms from Viseu are served with hollandaise sauce. For meat, lamb and pork are selected from the finest farms in the Algarve and Alentejo regions of Portugal, and in Andalusia, Spain.
No worries for vegetarians and vegans: the chef offers a recipe based on grilled fermented cabbage with massa de
pimentão and chickpeas, but also an umami alternative to the xerém (thick soup) of the Algarve, where seaweed from a small producer in the Ria
Formosa are used in place of seafood.
Hospitality is just one aspect of the Austa experience, which is explored in greater detail in the form of Emma and David's mercearia (grocery store) within the space. Plates and tableware from the Portuguese artisan collective, and unique finds from the couple's travels, move from the restaurant tables to the shop shelves, where guests can purchase them to take home.
In addition, cookbooks and craft books on topics such as sea salt, spoons and ceramics complement the scented products from the Algarve natural brand 8950 and the London-based brand Perfumer H, with aromas such as ink, smoke, salt and marmalade – all designed around the idea of creating lasting memories around the culinary experience.
The objects and curiosities extend to consumables such as specialty 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 from produce from Austa's garden and orchards.
An authentic address, rich in discoveries.
AUSTA – RUA CRISTOVAO PIRES NORTE 117, ALMANCIL (PORTUGAL)
AUSTA.PT
