Arola

Arola Restaurant is situated in the Penha Longa Hotel and Golf Resort, one of the premier golf and country clubs in the central west region of Portugal. The resort is located in a protected nature reserve between the sophisticated and cosmopolitan resort of Cascais and the romantic hill town of Sintra and was a favoured summer retreat for Portugal’s aristocracy in centuries past.

This makes the perfect spot for a leisurely lunch, perhaps after a round of golf, and it is certainly worth making the trip from nearby Sintra to enjoy a quality evening meal in luxurious surroundings.

Arola Restaurant has a cool, fashionable edge both in its décor and in the food it serves. The sumptuous yet sophisticated dining room features a huge transparent wine cellar as its centrepiece, full of a variety of vintages just waiting to be selected by discerning diners.

The restaurant’s namesake, chef Sergi Arola, trained in Spain and has created an exotic menu full of contrasting yet complementary flavours that give a contemporary Iberian twist to traditional dishes from all over Portugal. There are separate lunch and dinner menus both offering a choice between tapas-style dining and a more traditional a la carte option.

Try the Mini burgers with goat cheese, foie gras, and quail egg, the steak tartar with soy sauce infusion and crispy onions; or the Angus fillet with artichoke puree, onion glaze, Portuguese cabbage and mushroom sauce from the varied lunch menu. Dinner favourites include Black pork strips with apple, pistachio and parmesan; foie gras terrine with a port wine reduction and toasted brioche; and fried squid Spanish style.

Sundays are very popular at Arola Restaurant when a kid’s club operates throughout the lunchtime sitting in order to keep the little ones occupied while the grown-ups enjoy a meal without interruptions, and on Sunday evenings guests can enjoy a set dinner menu of tapas-style dishes with matched wines for 42€ per head.

On Friday nights the restaurant is a fashionable destination for the beautiful crowd from Sintra, Cascais and Lisbon, who flock to enjoy the live DJ sets and ladies open bar after a delicious dinner.

For a special experience, reserve the chef’s table for up to 10 guests at dinner. At 90€ per head it may not be cheap but it is certainly an experience to be savoured if funds permit.

Arola Restaurant
Penha Longa Hotel & Golf Resort
Estrada da Lagoa Azul
2714 – 511 Sintra – Linhó
Portugal
Tel: +351 219 249 011
Fax: +351 219 249 007
Email: resort.penhalonga@penhalonga.com
www.penhalonga.com