The chef Nuno Mendes is back in Portugal and debuts for the first time in the city of Porto: this Thursday, February 16, Cozinha das Flores and the “brother” bar Flôr open their doors, a project whose launch from the hotel The Largo (of the Danish collective Annassurra), of which he is a member. But make no mistake: he won’t have to cross hallways, take elevators, and feel, for a moment, that he doesn’t belong there.

Cozinha das Flores is independent, so much so that access is by street, more specifically, by number 62, Largo de São Domingos, in the riverside area of ​​the northern city. A fundamental aspect for the chef and creative director, who has won two Michelin stars, one in the Mãos project, another in Viajante, both in London, a city where he has been based for more than a decade and where in 2022 he opened Lisboeta. .

Lisbon. Without “copy and paste”, Nuno Mendes celebrates the Portuguese capital in London

“The kitchen of flowers and the [bar] Flôr are street spaces. this is very important to me. This is a restaurant designed for Porto”, he tells the Observer. More than a good dinner, a fun dining room that wants to promote fun and conviviality at the table, in a light, relaxed atmosphere that unites people, and that has as its centerpiece a piece by the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira. But here we go.

“Currently it is my only project in Portugal and it is very special”

The numerous successful projects on the London scene (among them Bacchus, the Loft Project or the Chiltern Firehouse), where it is already a consolidated benchmark in the gastronomic scene, do not diminish Nuno Mendes’s enthusiasm for this new return to Portugal (he left creative director of Bairro Alto Hotel, between 2019 and 2022). The renowned chef is excited about the new chapter and tells us about it with great affection (as, by the way, he also demonstrated in this Instagram post).

“I am super excited. This is a project that I have been working on for a long time, with a lot of love, with a group of very interesting people,” he says. A restaurant that is for those who live and visit the city, a “tribute to Porto”, who wants to give it visibility. “I hope the people of Porto and the rest of the Portuguese are proud of this project.”

Born in Lisbon, raised between the capital and Alto Alentejo, where his paternal family came from, the reality is that Nuno Mendes keeps an important part of his roots in this city, now on his mother’s side. Roots that he began to explore more intensely about three years ago and that have left him amazed: “For me, one of the most interesting parts of this project is the fact that it allows me to discover Porto,” he says, highlighting the “charisma” , the “melancholy” and the “energy” of this “so special” city. “Currently it is my only project in Portugal and it is very special”.

The preamble to this story of discovery by northern culture began between 2020 and 2021, he cannot specify. The official journey begins now. “The journey starts here. It is not opening the door and that’s it. This is work that will continue to evolve over time. I want to deepen this knowledge and bring people who have the same curiosity and passion for the project”.

Fun, bohemian and good food. “I like fun food much more than good food”

But what will Cozinha das Flores be about after all? “I like it much more than fun dining room what of Good dinner”, immediately begins to clarify. Well summarized, the idea is that, having lived the experience, people think: “this restaurant is fun”. Therefore, a space for signature cuisine, whose starting point and inspiration are the “old traditional recipes, references from the northern zone” —to which is added “technical knowledge”—, but which wants to give away good times.

He dispenses with great formalities and does not take himself too seriously. He wants an environment similar to the one installed in his Lisboeta, a project that was born as a book and grew to become a restaurant.

“I think since I’ve had kids, I’ve become more and more passionate about projects that are cool, bohemian experiences where we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We are professionals and we will do the best job possible, but we also want our clients to have fun while they are here.. We don’t want a serious or overly formal environment,” she says. “A passion that I have had with Lisbon is precisely that democratic character, where people come and feel comfortable and relaxed. That’s what I like to create.”

From haute cuisine to lunches for 300 children: what comes out of the hands of Nuno Mendes now reaches Portugal

Combining ancestral techniques with more modern ones, the gastronomic proposal enters into dialogue with the city where he lives. As an example, you can try Steamed shrimp and egg cake with balchao ham — the chef’s interpretation of Pão de Ló, a 15th-century Japanese dish that has become one of the most classic desserts in Portuguese recipes; EITHER turnip turnip, a savory version of the well-known pastel de nata, whose crunchy dough is filled with creamy turnip, covered with fresh caviar; or even the Squid noodles with white beans and cod tripe stewscented with citrus fruits and dill, which demonstrates the improbable union of very typical products from the north of Portugal.

Multiusos, Cozinha das Flores and Flôr will be open throughout the day, serving different purposes in their different stages. First, you will serve breakfast; then it evolves to a space that serves lunch, faster or slower (the customer is the one who decides); and, finally, it grows to become a restaurant ready to receive those looking for a dinner with good food, drinks and friends.

Without tasting menus, those who opt for the more classic format (starter, main course and dessert) are as well received as those who opt for the single-course option.

The wines are also those of the region, combining old vintages and historical producers with more contemporary options, with low-intervention wines.

The Flôr bar, the Siza Vieira mural and a special dessert

Flôr bar has the mixologist Tatiana Cardoso at the controls. Despite touching several cultures (such as Japan), it also embraces the Portuguese gastronomic tradition, highlighting the Clichèd cocktail that combines gin, coriander, apple, amaranth and cod, the latter, the quintessential Portuguese business card, which is incorporated here in the recipe using the rotovap, a machine that allows extracting the essence of the flavor of this fish, creating the base distillate of the drink, with clear nuances of sea air, salty, but fresh.

In the field of decoration, the Space Copenhagen atelier stands out, which designed Cozinha das Flores, Flôr and The Largo itself, creating links with artisans, artists, academics and specialists in local culture who contributed to all spaces. The highly regarded architect Pritzker Prize winner Álvaro Siza Vieira will be one of the most famous names on this listwho, evoking the feeling of relaxation associated with restaurants that make us happy, created the mural, the central piece, for Cozinha das Flores, where he portrays the universe of musicians and music.

Milk will be one of the desserts, for now, available at Cozinha das Flores, a tribute to the Alentejo of Nuno Mendes’ grandparents (the evocation of memories that in the prime of youth are never so happy), where he worked with his father on the dairy cow farm. “It was a difficult transition, because maybe at 19 you don’t want to live in the Alentejo”, he jokes. A reality that, for nearly a year, he lived “every day” and that was “very special”.

“We did two milkings a day. It started at 4 am and lasted until 8 am. Afterwards, the cows went to graze and we had the second milking from four in the afternoon to eight, ”she details, recalling“ the frost in the morning ”and accompanying the change of seasons.

Cozinha das Flores is located in Largo de São Domingos, in Porto. It is accepting reservations for meals from February 16, which must be made through the email [email protected] or the number 229 760 001. Flôr receives passing customers.