During our recent visit to beautiful Vila Monte Farm House we had the pleasure to dine in their restaurant, À Terra. À Terra is described as being “more than a restaurant, À Terra is a way of life.” The dishes in À Terra feature meals created using the finest in homemade, delicious, healthy food. The restaurant is inspired by local products and many of the ingredients used in the restaurant are grown in Vila Monte’s own extensive vegetable and herb garden. The restaurant is a place for sharing and has a continuous service all day long. The wood oven and Josper Grill are the pride and joy of À Terra restaurant and many of the incredible, traditional Portugese dishes that are served in the restaurant are cooked in these.
À Terra is a beautiful, relaxed restaurant with big wide windows which overlook Vila Monte’s gorgeous grounds and features naturally beautiful decor throughout. The restaurant has a wonderful, relaxed vibe and everyone in there was having a fantastic time. The service was fantastic throughout the entire evening and we were very impressed with the knowledge our wait staff had of both food and wine and were very pleased their recommendations for an Algarve red wine to accompany our meal.
We began our dining experience with delicious bread which had been freshly baked in the wood fired oven and was served with thyme and goat butters, Algarve style baby carrots and chickpea pâté. Bread is one of the central features in the restaurant and is cooked freshly in the wood oven all day long. The bread was warm, fresh and full of flavour. We loved all the accompaniments and in particular the goat butter and chickpea pâté.
Dan opted for the Roasted quail with garlic, radish, pumpkin and grapes for his entree. The dish was beautifully presented and full of rich, delicate flavours. Each aspect of the dish worked perfectly together to create a wonderful, flavoursome entree.
I chose the Josper Roasted Octopus with Josper grilled sweet potatoes and red onions for my starter. Again it was beautifully plated up and I loved the full, smokey flavours and texture of the octopus. It was my first time trying octopus and I was very impressed!
As it was our first day in the Algarve which is a region renowed for its seafood, Dan chose the Fish of the Day for his main course. The fish of the day was Seabass which was cooked in a wood fired oven and served with roasted vegetables, potato and salad, and accompied by a pot of garlic butter. The fish came whole and our lovely waiter kindly offered to fillet and serve it, which was a lesson in itself for us! We were very impressed and since leaving Vila Monte have managed to fillet our own fish, which certainly isn’t an easy task! The seabass was fresh, delicious and full of wonderful smokey flavours. The whole meal was a very generous portion and was truly the perfect introduction to seafood in the Algarve! Dan was very impressed and hasn’t stopped talking about it since!
I am a big pizza fan and couldn’t go past one of the incredible wood fired pizzas! I chose the À Terra pizza which was served on a deliciously thin and crispy wood fired base and topped with the freshest of tomato paste, cheese, tomatoes, slices of calf meat, chorizo, onion and mushrooms. The pizza was absolutely delicious and there was not a single bit left on my plate when I was finished with it.
We were both too full for dessert but the menu looked fantastic with sweet pies, cakes and home made ice creams on offer along with rich, flavourful espresso coffee.
Our evening at À Terra was wonderful. We had a delicious, healthy, homemade meal in a warm, relaxed environment and it was the perfect start to our experience with Portuguese cuisine. Whether you are staying at Vila Monte Farm House or somewhere else in the Algarve and looking for a delicious, healthy and satisfying dining experience then we guarantee À Terra is a restaurant worth visiting!
À Terra Restaurant
Vila Monte Farm House
Sitio dos Caliços
8700-069 Moncarapacho
Portugal
+351 289 790 790
www.vilamonte.com
The Aussie Flashpacker was invited to review À Terra.
Read more on the Algarve: Portugal Campervan Diary, Campervanning through Portugal: Logistics of Life on the Road, 10 Reasons you should explore Portugal in a Soul Campers Campervan, Our Portugal Campervan Itinerary, An amazing week exploring the Algarve and Alentejo regions on Portugal, Fazenda Nova Country House: A Relaxing and Luxurious Hideaway in the Heart of the East Algarve, The Ultimate Algarve Retreat: Vila Monte Farm House, 5 Must See Destinations on the Algarve.
