Soulful cuisine
offers Portuguese food, family-style, in three of the most emblematic restaurants in Madeira: Chalet Vicente, The Prince Albert and Gruta
José Manuel and Guadalupe Brito's journey in the restaurant business can be traced back to 2001, but even before that their training crossed paths with tourism. He was in the hotel business, in the food and beverage sector. She was in travel agencies.
Owners of three of the most prestigious restaurants in Madeira, they are proud to put into practice "our passion for hospitality", a "family-style cuisine, traditionally Portuguese and rustic, which demands a sometimes longer cooking time, where wood-fired ovens and charcoal grills are used".
From 2011 onward, the concept was transported and adapted to Chalet Vicente, an old, restored farmhouse in the heart of Funchal's hotel area. The location made genuine Portuguese and Madeiran food accessible to customers, where there is no lack of "pots
on the table and casseroles", or food served on platters.
Wine is also present, around 450 references. The Prince Albert was another opportunity. "My wife and I had a passion for English and Irish pubs". The space dating back to 1973 has been renovated. It only kept the location and the name, in homage to the husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.
The place where José Manuel and Guadalupe first started dating is a gastro pub, where there are plenty of appetisers on the griddle, the inevitable fish and chips, or the traditional English breakfast. There are Portuguese dishes and fusion options, designed for sharing with friends. In addition to all this, there are beer references, cocktails, gin and wine.
Gruta is Prince Albert's contemporary and this entrepreneurial couple's most recent restaurant. Located near the port area of Funchal, and closed 35 years, it has now been remodelled. The cuisine of Brito Figueira was once again adapted, appealing to the memory of Madeirans with pregos (traditional steak sandwiches), picados (minced meat), espada-preta (black scabbard fish) or escabeche (tuna) sandwiches, or the Madeiran espetada (skewered beef).
Despite the differences, the three spaces, where around 60 people work, share an identity and a family atmosphere. The secret to success is choosing the product well. There has to be "rigour", says the businessman, for whom "raw materials are important", but quality is also in the atmosphere, in terms of comfort and even decoration.
But the kitchen also is flavour, which should be associated to a good recipe and without complicating things. Very complex cooking also puts customers off and that's not what I'm aiming for, he says.