Onze

[fmm]

Following recommendations from here, off we went tonight.
Glad we booked as it was the busiest restaurant we saw this evening.
THe three young people who run it (they are all about 25 years old) - one greek/german, and two portuguese (one of whom is Cvo bred) worked the restaurant like seasoned pros. They were all utterly charming and could not do enough for their guests.

The good was very good. The mixed starter was excellent. My fish of the day was OK - not the best by a long shot, but more than acceptable. The steak my sister had was fantastic.

Desserts were subline - the chocolate cake (with a touch of cinnamon) was a mix of mousse and cake - amazing. The cheese came with honey and fig jam - mmmmmmmm

Three of us with starters, main couse, dessert and two bottles of wine came in at 50 euros per person. Not cheap, but we have booked again for Monday evening.

You can eat more cheaply - we had the most expensive items on the menu.

THey plan to stay open over the winter and have a month off in January.

If you are looking for something totally different to anything else in Cvo, then give these young people and their restaurant a chance.

The longer haired waiter/partner is also a photographer. Some interesting examples of his work are placed around the restaurant - worth taking a look at!!!

Thanks to those of you who recommended Onze - definitely a good find and I hope that others will try them out.

[blue]

What kind of food is it serving? Apart from the fish & steak you don't specify & as you'd have trouble finding a restaurant in Carvoeiro without fish or steak on the menu what is it makes this restaurants food different? Seems pricey for just fish & steak.

[fmm]

THe fish was something really odd begining with a C. They said there was no real translation into English for it. I am investigating.

Starters and main courses were a mix of greek and european - The cooking mainly had a greek twist to it - the tastes were totally different to anything else which we have in Cvo (obviously excluding the indian and chinese etc ...)

I agree I am being really vague - will have to check the menu again on Monday and try to remember a bit more. Too much wine and the complimentary drink at the end have clouded my memory a litle
Anyway - off to play tennis now!!!

[Bristle Si]

Sounds like it's worth a try.
Is that the building that's been empty for as many years as we've been visiting CVO (9 years)?

Do you have to book or is it easy to just walk in and get a table for two?

[fmm]

It is next to the GNR - I think it has been a restaurant in the past but not for a while.
There was a table for two that was not being used at about 10pm last night. But if you want to sit outside, then I would probably book.
As I said, it is not cheap, but is definitely a very enjoyable eating experience.
I would suggest, however, that when they give you the dish of the day, ask them the price, as this is where we ended up spending more than we thought we were going to!

[eggybutler]

We are coming out to Cvo in a weeks time (came in 2008 and fell in love with it) and have read the great reviews about Onzo, just wondering where in Cvo it is, please can someone let me know as definitely sounds like somewhere we would want to eat.

[EMM]

Hope the was not carapau, this is " horse mackerel " one of the cheapest fish caught off Portugal. Often sold as a poor subsitute for sardines or Carvallha ( mackeral as we know it ). It is exported in vast quantities to Germany and Holland for processing.
It is so poorly regarded in the UK that you rarely see it offered for sale or on menus.

Its OK but the price should reflect its quality, certainly does not compare with Bream or bass.

[fmm]

No - only one big bone in the middle. Large steak like fish with fancy bits. Definitely not anything like a sardine or mackerel! May have been turbot perhaps.

[EMM]

Corvinha ( or channel bass ) , can be a big fish, definetly not up to the standard of turbot or normal bass.

[ditzy]

Agree with EMM, would definitely say it was corvina

[fmm]

Whateverit was, not having it again! However, will probably have several starters as main course when we return on Monday as there were a few that I wanted to try out. Suspect I will have the chocolate cake again as well. I am going to be sooo fat by the time I get back to the UK ...

[EMM]

You will often be offered as " fresh fish " those which are very seasonal, caught locally in large quantities and cheap.

These could be Carapau. Corvinha or trigger fish.
None of these are close to the taste of bream, sole or bass and unless the price is low then best to avoid them as you will probably be dissapointed.

[fmm]

Nothing beats the dourada that I have at Marisqueira at the top of restaurant hill. But hey - the chocolate cake was awesome and the starters were fab!

[Aldo]

Where is Onze?

[a_vasudeva]

Have just returned from a few weeks in Carvoeiro and wanted to comment on two vastly different meals we had at Onze.
The first meal was excellent. The staff accomodated us though we had not booked. We had a lovely meal from breads through starters to main and desserts. The staff were chatty and charming throughout.
We went back just over a week later having booked on this occasion. The whole experience could not have been more different. We were not offered any bread/olives. The sizes of the portions had visibly shrunk compared to a week earlier (I chose a starter that my wife had had previously and it was just half the size!). The staff did not come round to top up the wine at all during the meal, and when we had finished mains, took so long to come back for our dessert orders that we had changed our minds by then and decided to leave.
Very strange really as the restaurant was no busier the second night than the first.
I think they will struggle to keep going if they are so inconsistent, and charge prices that would not be out of place in a central London restaurant.