José Manuel Fonseca’s Porto, Portugal
Porto is a charming, small city, where life is very easy. We have great food, nice restaurants, a vibrant cultural life, and temperate weather.
José Manuel Fonseca, MDS Group CEO and Brokerslink Founder, talks charm and ease in Porto.
What’s to love >> Porto is a charming, small city, where life is very easy. We have great food, nice restaurants, a vibrant cultural life, and temperate weather. It is a very historic city, where everything is close together, but it is also modern and trendy. We have both a mighty river and a coastline running along the Atlantic Ocean, which is quite unique.
The food >> Portuguese cuisine, especially fish and seafood, dominates the culinary scene. But new restaurants are creating diversity. Italian and Japanese restaurants are popular, and we now have some great “Author’s Cuisine” restaurants, where chefs incorporate unusual textures, aromas and flavors in innovative ways.
Favorite new restaurant >> Euskalduna Studio is an intimate and very sophisticated place. Chef Vasco Coelho Santos serves creative Asian and Portuguese dishes.
Favorite classic restaurant >> DOP, definitely. It is a handsome restaurant in the heart of the city. I love the consistency and innovation of Chef Rui Paula’s food (he is a Michelin star chef), and they have a great wine service. My favorite dish is lobster rice with fish.
Seaside dining >> Casa de Chá da Boa Nova, one of the most beautiful restaurants you will ever find in your life. It is another of Paula’s restaurants, and here he offers tasting menus. Designed by the famous architect Álvaro Siza and situated “on” the rocks, facing the Atlantic and the waves, it is FABULOUS.
Drinks >> Casa Vasco is a very nice bar to have a cocktail or glass of wine or Port. It is located in a chic area of town called Foz. There are lots of beautiful people.
Stay >> InterContinental Porto – Palacio das Cardosas is a new hotel housed in a historic building that has been restored. It overlooks the Liberdade Square, a great location in the main historic zone.
Must-do >> Porto is a city of modern architecture, kind of the Chicago of Portugal. Taking a tour of some of our iconic buildings is highly suggested.
Outdoors >> The beach is wonderful in the summer, but we sail and surf, run and bike the whole year.
