Just after 10am on an unassuming Thursday, Gil Fernandes sets out to show a small group of journalists the hidden potential of the rocks at Guincho. With the tide low, he’s down on his knees, picking and tasting seaweed. “It’s not quite the hotel’s garden, but it’s close,” he quips, sharing insights he’s gathered on his mission to throw open the doors of his kitchen even wider. At the helm of Fortaleza do Guincho’s Michelin-starred restaurant since 2018, the chef is convinced that the closer the menu is to his own story – and, above all, to its surroundings – the better it gets.
The best limpets are found close to the water, he explains with evident excitement. Seaweed, on the other hand, is a whole other kettle of fish – or rather, a whole collection of them: Alface-do-mar, bodelha, cabelo de velha, osmundea, kombu, codium... Some are perfect for broths, others belong on the plate. Gil Fernandes insists you can’t learn everything from books. “You have to pick them, cook them and figure out how they work. There’s a lot of testing, a lot of trial and error,” says the chef, who hails from Ribamar, near Lourinhã.
He’s long been looking beyond the walls of his Michelin-starred restaurant, determined to work as locally as possible – and not leave anything to others that he can do himself. “Getting out of the restaurant is crucial, even for my head,” he confides, recalling early mornings by the sea, especially around Ericeira, where he lives.
At the moment, his tasting menus – the shortest with nine courses (€155) and the longest with twelve (€190) – feature around “ten different types of seaweed” – “though in practice, we only really use four or five,” he clarifies. “It’s all a learning process,” he insists. And he’s sure there’s still plenty of potential waiting to be discovered – not just in the sea, but on land too. That’s why, about a year ago, he struck up a partnership with Quinta do Pisão, where the restaurant now has its own dedicated plots, each marked with a sign and cultivated in close collaboration with the organic farming team.
Citronella, baby broad beans, parsley root (once pulled out and discarded), yardlong beans, and green zebra tomatoes are just a few examples of what’s come out of this synergy. It starts with a challenge from Gil and ends with a garden that’s growing ever more diverse. “About a year ago, I sent a list – broken down by season – to help liven up this garden, bringing new products to the restaurant,” Gil beams. “In the long run, this means the people of Cascais will also have access to more diverse and better-quality produce.”
Diogo Coelho, the coordinator of the Pisão Garden, agrees. “This kind of collaboration with chefs is really important for us too – it helps us learn and meet the demands of the market,” he explains.
For André Miguel, Head of the Terras de Cascais Division, working with chefs is about showcasing the potential of this – and similar – gardens across the borough. “Cascais has the potential to produce a significant share of the food it consumes, particularly fruits and vegetables. That’s always been the vision,” he says, highlighting the efforts around regenerative agriculture. “It’s a synergy we’ve created not just for the restaurant, but for society as a whole,” Gil argues. “We’re still in the development phase, which is why there are lines marked with signs highlighting this partnership with Fortaleza. It’s just the beginning, and perhaps other chefs will want to get involved too,” the chef adds.
André Miguel is quick to point out, however, that they’re not quite ready to open the door to everyone just yet, due to limited capacity. “We’ve carefully selected the local restaurants, choosing chefs we resonate with – chefs who understand and value the concept – so that one day we can create the demand that will attract other entrepreneurs to come here to Cascais and want to do the same,” he explains.
When he heads back to the restaurant to showcase the fruits of his outdoor adventures to the same group that accompanied him to the rocks and the garden, Gil’s conversation takes on a new depth, and the dishes become much more than just pretty plates bursting with flavour. Fortaleza do Guincho is increasingly becoming not just his place, but his entire world.
Estrada do Guincho 2413. 214 870 491. Wed-Sat 19.00-21.30