Casa do Gadanha — Alentejo, Redefined

 

Estremoz, Summer 2024. In Alentejo, time flows differently. It stretches like the heat wavering on the horizon, rests upon white stones, and only advances when body and soul are ready. It’s 13:27 when we cross the threshold of an old manor house, now transformed into a fascinating case study of Portugal’s new gastronomy.

Five or six years ago, the interior was where one went to escape. Today, it’s where one goes to discover. The Alentejo gastronomic revolution didn’t arrive with fanfare—it infiltrated silently, like light through the cracks of a centuries-old window. Far from urban centers and regional clichés, we’re witnessing the emergence of signature restaurants, discreet yet meticulously designed hotels, and kitchens that respect their territory without merely replicating its codes.

Casa do Gadanha, in Estremoz, is one such declaration of maturity. It is a place where the interior ceases to be merely a backdrop and asserts itself as an origin, where the author’s cuisine takes shape without shouting. It’s not just a restaurant. It’s a project with meaning—and, in the case of Michele Marques and Ruben Trindade Santos, with heart and substantial depth.

Project of Resilience

Mercearia Gadanha emerged in 2011, when Portugal was still grappling with the financial crisis. Michele Marques, a proprietor with a discreet profile and clear vision, transformed an old commercial space into a hybrid of fine épicerie and casual restaurants. Many would have considered it madness to open such a business in a town with just five thousand inhabitants. It was visionary. In short, it became a landmark in Estremoz and an essential destination for those wanting to see the interior cooking with soul and ambition.

In 2019 came the evolution: they took an old manor house and transformed it into a boutique hotel with just 12 rooms, where each space was conceived as an extension of the house’s philosophy: rigor, detail, and genuine hospitality. On the ground floor, they created the Casa do Gadanha restaurant. Ruben leads the kitchen with a clear focus: Alentejo author cuisine, based on 90% local, seasonal ingredients, almost always from small producers.

It’s a project that rejects the notion that the interior must be rustic or touristy. It’s refined yet unpretentious, contemporary yet rooted. Above all, it is honest toward the territory, the product, and those at the table.

Anatomy of a Meal

We arrived on a summer weekday. The city is tranquil, the heat is languid, and the dining room is almost empty. The space is simple, modest, yet beautiful and well-tended. Airy, with stone walls, natural light, and well-chosen Alentejo details. The team welcomes us with a serene smile, the kind that doesn’t stand on ceremony but knows what they’re doing. The service is attentive, fluid, and relaxed, with that sense of time at the table that only Alentejo seems to offer.

Ruben, whose background includes stints at Ocean, Feitoria, and even London’s Viajante alongside Nuno Mendes, proposes a journey that can be undertaken through a tasting menu or dishes designed for sharing. With a child at the table, we opted for the latter model. (During our visit, working alongside Ruben was Francisca Dias, now at “Esteva” in Borba, which she commands in her own name.)

We began with sourdough bread, still warm, with a crispy crust and moist crumb, accompanied by whipped pork butter with paprika and a good olive oil. A simple start but loaded with intention: bread that makes a sound when broken and the centuries-old fats that nourish Alentejo. Everything is in its proper place.

 

Next came the tuna tartare with lemon and muxama. The tuna is well-seasoned, with controlled acidity and slices of muxama adding depth and salt. Muxama—the “ham of the sea”—is a nod to the south, to the Algarve, but fits naturally here. Everything was refreshed and bound by an oyster mayonnaise that reinforced the sea breeze in Alentejo’s interior.

 

The eggplant with honey, spices, and cashews arrived in comfort mode. Roasted in the oven until almost creamy, then glazed with honey and a subtle blend of spices that gave it a sweet, mysterious touch, taking us on a journey to Morocco or the Middle East. The natural yogurt brought acidity, the cashews brought the much-needed crunchiness, and a thread of local olive oil tied everything together— a vegetable dish full of density and memory. Few dishes make me appreciate eggplant—and this was one of them.

 

With pomp and circumstance, one of the highlights arrived at the table: eggs with Algarve prawn and caviar. Quail eggs, masterfully fried—à la Rafa Zafra—combined with a mayonnaise made from an intense prawn bisque, in a combination that was almost a luxury breakfast. The perfect, raw prawn provided the sweet-marine touch, and the caviar offered the final contrast. It’s a dish that reconciles comfort with refinement and one clearly not expected in the heart of Estremoz.

 

Continuing with the sea, came lobster with goat butter and spring onion. The lobster was succulent and cooked with precision. The goat butter, which we often see accompanying squid, feels more acidic and lighter than cow butter. It is coated with delicacy, and the spring onion, lightly roasted, brings freshness and a subtle vegetable flavor. Also making an appearance are a less interesting lobster and caviar croquette. A minimalist dish, albeit luxurious, that left mixed feelings. While the impeccable cooking of the tail invited savoring, the entire ensemble resembled a collection of pieces that didn’t always fit together. Something more was missing.

 

The meat dish—as nearly always happens when it appears on a menu—was lamb sweetbreads with turnip and pistachio. It is a serious, courageous dish, perhaps the most surprising of the meal, with its indulgent sauce. Well-cooked sweetbreads paired perfectly with the purée—earthy, smooth—and the dark, reduced sauce that bound everything with depth. The toasted pistachios added texture and a light, sweet perfume. A dish with a soul that delighted everyone.

While the adults indulged in the tasting, there was also time to share a margherita pizza, ordered for the child at the table (who meanwhile decided, wisely, to swap the pizza for sweetbreads). Slow-fermented dough, artisanal tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and wood-fired oven. Simple but well-made. A gesture of care showing this is a house that thinks of everyone—without compromising quality and identity in ingredient selection.

 

The dessert was “Strawberry“: fruit granita, meringue, fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and crumble. Textures, freshness, controlled sweetness. A summer dessert that doesn’t weigh you down. It closes the meal with lightness and elegance.

For drinking, we chose Cabeças do Reguengo “Quartzo,” a white from high-altitude Portalegre with vibrant acidity and a smoky mineral profile. It accompanied everything with discretion and intelligence, pairing exceptionally well with the more marine flavors.

Final Considerations

Casa do Gadanha is one of those places that makes us believe in Alentejo’s future, not as an exotic destination or an escape setting, but as a territory full of contemporary expression, with rooted and ambitious projects. Michele and Ruben have created a space where one sleeps and eats well, but also breathes a specific idea of Portugal—a Portugal that looks inward with respect and desires to do better.

Ruben’s cooking is clean and precise. It is a cuisine that has moved beyond the needdoesn’t need to shout to be noticed. It’s a cuisine that has matured to impress. It traveled, and now finds peace in well-executed simplicity. And that, today, is worth a great deal. The service is discreet and attentive, with a young but well-trained team. The room has joy, and the house breathes history with freshness. There is room to grow, but there is, above all, consistency and truth.

.In a flourishing Alentejo, Casa do Gadanha is a rare flower: beautiful, silent, but impossible to ignore. Living proof that Portuguese gastronomic excellence doesn’t need to be concentrated in the big cities. A place where sophistication doesn’t weigh heavy and where time—that special time—is savored in each dish.

When we leave the restaurant, the sun is already setting over the walls of Estremoz. Alentejo stretches infinitely on the horizon among olive trees and cork oaks. But it’s no longer the same Alentejo we once knew. It’s a place that has silently transformed into one of the country’s most innovative and engaging gastronomic territories, and Casa do Gadanha is one of the reasons for this.