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Miguel Rocha Vieira's new project is an "ode to the simple nobility of the Alentejo": Mercan Hotels on NiT
Forno da Telha opened on December 18 in Évora and brings a reinvention of the region's specialties. "Spending 16 hours in the kitchen like in the old days" is a thing of the past in Miguel Rocha Vieira's life. For a year now, the chef has been traveling from north to south of the country creating new restaurants from scratch. And after Porto, Amarante, and Beja, he inaugurated, on February 18, a space in Évora that seeks to honor "Alentejo life and cuisine".
Forno da Telha, which was named in honor of the oven where tiles were formerly made in the property's garden, is the new restaurant of the Holiday INN Évora Hotel. The project is part of the ambitious plan of Ace Hospitality Management (AHM), which hired the chef to help rethink the restaurant spaces and gastronomic concepts of all its hotels.
In the case of the Alentejo restaurant, this is the first to appear in a space completely independent of the hotel unit. That is, it will have its own entrance on the street, which was a desire of the team. "We had already thought about it some time ago and in truth it is a little bit what brings me to AHM. We want to separate the gastronomic offer from the hotel itself. This is the first in a completely independent building and we are looking at it as a street restaurant, although we continue to serve breakfast to guests in the space", reveals the 45-year-old chef to NiT.
For Forno da Telha, the chef wanted to bet "on the nobility of simplicity and respect for local ingredients". He began by visiting pig farmers in the region to understand how sausages and meats were produced. "The starting point was Alentejo cuisine and products, so we went to the roots of everything. We wanted to see how the raw materials worked and then recover the original recipe book and give it our DNA", he explains.
This process resulted in a menu rich in Alentejo specialties, including the Migas Gatas (€14), made with flaked cod and spinach puree, the ear (€12) in salad with pork rinds and pickled mustard seeds and a wild boar pie (€13) with pear and dried fruit salad. In the main courses there is the lamb stew (€24), the cod with chickpeas (€22), finished with chorizo and stew of tongues and samos. Still in the meat, the chef suggests the black pork (€23). "We make a marinated presa in the bowl with potato crumbs and grilled lettuce hearts", he says.
At the time of desserts, they are displayed on a cart (€7) with different options, where customers can taste "a little bit of everything". There are slices with lemon and acorn, farófias, velvet pudding, Medronho brandy cake and other Alentejo specialties. "Here, it's not just about cooking, but about bringing to the table the flavour of the Alentejo essence, time and sharing", he explains.
Rocha Vieira was challenged to have a role as a consultant at AHM after the abrupt closure of the space he had at Doca da Marinha, in Lisbon. Although she has never been in this role, she admits that she is loving the challenge.
"I went from my own cloister, inside a kitchen, to always be from one place to the other meeting new people. It's been challenging, but incredible", he reveals to NiT.
In fact, this more hectic life does not scare the Portuguese chef, who has already had three Michelin-starred restaurants under his orders — he managed Fortaleza do Guincho, Costes Restaurant and Costes Downtown at the same time. "Despite being a very restless person who likes challenges, there are many things to deal with. Obviously, when a proposal like this appears, coming from a company that wants to change things. There will certainly be a before and after in Portugal, especially in the way of looking at the business."
Even so, he manages to "kill the bug of going back to the kitchen". "I don't see myself spending 16 hours in a kitchen like I used to. I really think that lifestyle would no longer work for me. But from time to time I like to go back," he says.
The new restaurant will have 80 seats and will only serve dinners during the week, at least until Easter. This space consolidates the presence of the hotel group in the Alentejo and Miguel Rocha Vieira's interest in the region. "Soon we will open on weekends to serve the typical Alentejo stew, with chickpeas. When the weather permits, we will open a bar in the pool area with snacks and signature cocktails", he concludes.
For 2025 they already have several openings planned. They will start in Gaia, with a restaurant overlooking the D. Luís Bridge, then move on to Santo André and then to Albufeira. "In the Algarve we are going to create a fun chicken concept. We took Guia's specialty and turned it into hamburgers, tacos and even popcorn", he adds.
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