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DineinstyleMeet the family behind Crispim restaurant, and Bar Cubanito, both in the delightful fishing village of Fuseta, Olhão.

How wonderful it is to be able to still sit out on a sunny December afternoon here in the East Algarve, and enjoy a fantastic traditional lunch. This month we found ourselves in the delightful family owned Crispim Restaurant in Fuseta, were we met with Ana and her son Sondra who were kind enough to share with us their story of how the impressive restaurant and their first business “Bar Cubanito”, also in Fuseta, began. Ana, originally from Angola met her Portuguese husband Fernado whilst he was studying there before the war. They returned to Portugal 35 years ago with a view to settle, initially in Porto, as Fernando’s family are from the North, but on visits to Ana’s family in the Algarve they decided they would like to live and make their home in Fuseta. They opened Bar Cubanito, (overlooking the water opposite the ferry terminal) in 2000, a great place with live music, from rock and roll, to jazz and reggae. After tremendous success there with their delicious salad and seafood dishes they began to think of opening a larger restaurant in the same area. Daughters Daniela Vanessa now take care of cooking there. Ana and the family have created a truly beautiful fusion of Indian, Moroccean and traditional features at Restaurant Crispim, which they opened three years ago. They were helped by family including Fernando’s sister and her husband, Alexandra and Filipe Mateus who run an architecture and interior design company, have carried out works on many local specialist

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projects. The stunning center piece Elephant painting adorned on the wall was painted by Sondra’s uncle. Restaurant Crispim has a fantastic traditional menu, and specialities include “secret prawns”, fresh local seafood, cataplanas, special seafood rices, as well as grilled meats and fish. Crispim is a great place to maybe enjoy a romantic meal for 2 or gather a group of friends together as it caters for groups and any special occasion with a party menu starting from €12.50 per head. This includes a starter, the main course, sweet and coffee, as well as wine with your meal, amazing value! Lunch time specials are also available from just €5, and there is a vegetarion and children’s menu. The New Year will bring some “new” exciting dishes. During the day you can take in the views from the outside decked terrace surrounding mountains, salt planes and watch the flamingos circle above, or why not spend an evening enjoying the fine food and then some music at “Cubanito’s”, just a short walk away and try the “house drink.”, with a complimentary voucher from the restaurant. For more information on Crispim Restaurant or Bar Cubanito's, take a look on Facebook for 'Cubanito Fuseta' and 'Crispim restaurante'. For contact details see Crispim's advert on page 28. Many thanks to Ana and Sondra, we thoroughly enjoyed meeting them. The family are very warm and friendly, and are great chef’s, the attention to detail and value is amazing. We hope you get a chance to visit them soon.