Text José Silva

The Azores archipelago has become recognized all over the world as a fantastic destination, both because of its landscape and the environmental and ecological policy. It´s a group of nine islands in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, where the green color prevails, and a protected sea where unusual kinds of fish are abundant.

It is one of the largest tuna world reserves, along with other species like grouper and red sea bream. But there you can also find two mammals that can offer delicious and funny performances: dolphins and wales.

It is even the only place on earth where you can watch all the known species of whale. More recently, between the islands of Pico and S. Jorge, the trend is to dive with the sharks that are also abundant.

Traditional vineyards from Pico are world heritage sites.

And there are fantastic products in every island, mainly fish, some shellfish, excellent cow meat and a great cheese variety, besides delicious fruit, the pineapple from S. Miguel being the most famous. The Azores are the only place in Europe where tea is produced, in the island of S. Miguel.

Restaurants in the islands have developed a lot, making good use of these products, mainly the great variety of fish and the table wines that are more and more a constant presence.

The isle of Faial is well known for having had the last active volcano, in 1957, the Capelinhos vulcano, and the famous Peter’s Café, but it also has a citizen that twice completed a trip around the world, alone in his boat “Hemingway”.

It’s Mr. Genuíno, a man of the sea and the fish, one of the best fish experts in Azores, they say, who has brought thousands of souvenirs from those epic trips and that happened to get married in Brazil. Now calmer, he decided to open his own restaurant, in his native island, Faial. He chose a fantastic place, the small Porto Pim beach bay.

An architect friend designed the project and it was born, originally, as a place that wishes to spread the word about Azores’ shellfish and fish, through some traditional recipes with some innovation, discovering new pairings, new propositions.

It has two rooms, one below and the other on the first floor, simply adorned, in light colors, well-set tables, a relaxed scenery with large windows that opens into the beautiful landscape, Porto Pim beach. Calmness is everywhere. In this “Genuíno” they only serve fresh fish and some fresh shellfish in an appealing and modern menu.

Tasty bread, cheese, cottage cheese and earth pepper to start with. There are two possible soups, Hemingway soup and vegetable soup. As starters a delicious shrimp “Genuíno” style, fresh tuna salad, octopus salad very well-seasoned and Cape Horn sward-fish sticks.

Using fish from the islands, they propose names from places that Mr. Genuíno has visited in his trips, some of them even including preparations and seasonings from those faraway places: sward-fish filets with its rice, Rapa Nui tuna in the oven, Polinesian hot fish racket, genuine fish rice, coast octopus rice (at dinner time).

On the grill we can have Guernica grouper, sward-fish with local banana, Timorese tuna, middle canal red sea bream and Vanuatu red snapper. There is a menu for children, a vegetarian menu and they also have take-away.

At the end, Genuíno’s dessert, Gorreana tea pudding, fruit salad, Pico yam pudding, pineapple and cheese dish. Wines from Azores, mainly from Pico and S. Miguel are very present as are Lajido and Ksar, both from Pico and very special. The restaurant is always open, and we can eat at any hour of the day, every day.
Just in front, that fantastic sea is always very calm…

Contacts
Restaurant Genuíno
Areinha Velha, 9 Horta
9900-067 Ilha do Faial, Açores
Tel: +351 292 701 542
Email: genuino@genuinomadruga.com