Flavours without borders
Market Kitchen at W Algarve, in Albufeira, recently hosted “Napoli x Lisboa”, a four-hands dinner that brought together around 50 guests for a relaxed and immersive dining experience centred on the culinary connections between the Portuguese capital and southern Italy.
Held on May 14, the event saw W Algarve executive chef Andrea Ciuccio join Lisbon-based chef João Magalhães for a menu inspired by the traditions, flavours, and memories shared by two coastal cultures shaped by the sea.
Guests gathered around one long communal table, beginning the evening with cocktails and canapés on the hotel terrace before moving inside for a tasting menu paired with local Arvad wines.
At the heart of the dinner was a shared philosophy rooted in simplicity, quality ingredients, and the emotional side of food.
“We both share a passion for food, and we both see gastronomy from a very romantic point of view, which is very hard to find nowadays,” said chef Andrea Ciuccio.
Originally from Naples, Andrea drew on personal and Mediterranean influences throughout the menu.
“The menu is built around the line that connects two cities that are very special to us,” he explained, referring to Naples and Lisbon. “They both face the sea and they both have very authentic and strong gastronomy.”
The dishes reflected that dialogue between cultures, starting with the traditional Portuguese couvert, reinterpreted through Andrea’s childhood memories from Italy: “This reminded me when my mother served me bread, olive oil and vinegar when I was waiting for the meal. This is my tribute to my childhood.”
This was followed by a colourful array of dishes perfectly blending Italian techniques and references with fresh Portuguese ingredients, including a classic Italian sfogliatella with crab filling and a “ravioli à la cataplana”.
Chef João Magalhães, whose eight years living in Italy continue to shape projects such as Tricky’s and Bar Alimentar in Lisbon, chose to present the evening’s main course – a pork belly dish referencing the island of Ischia – by telling a story rather than giving a technical description of the ingredients.
“The first time I went to Naples, I met the family of a friend of mine, and I saw all these pieces of meat – sometimes not the most expensive cuts, actually the opposite – which they cooked it for many hours in the tomato sauce. It smelled so good. Then, they just served pasta with the sauce, without the meat», the chef recalled.
“I immediately asked if they weren’t going to eat the meat, to which the family replied: ‘Now we’re going to eat the pasta, and then we’re going to eat the meat.’ That’s the flavour I wanted to convey with the main course. That’s very much the idea behind this dish,” he revealed.
Dessert continued the cultural exchange with a Neapolitan babà paired with pastel de nata ice cream.
More than simply a collaboration between two chefs, the evening reflected the emotional relationship both Portugal and Italy have with food, conviviality, and the experience of gathering around the table – an approach that continues to shape W Algarve’s identity and gastronomic programme.
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