Sea urchin haven

Balagan

Middle eastern flavours by the sea Praia do Sul is ‘my beach’. In Portuguese we say ‘my beach’ the same way the British say ‘my cup of tea’, and just that says a lot about us. So, Praia do Sul is my beach not only because it is where I spent part of my summer vacations, but because it really is one of my favourite places in the world.

On the pathway that leads to the small stairs that take us to the sand there are some restaurants and cafés, one of which was closed for decades. It was a disco many years ago and finally it reopened as Balagan (which translates as chaos), a middle eastern food restaurant owned by Katharina Grafi, from Austria. This mix of influences in itself represents a lot of what Ericeira is right now and that is why Balagan wants to embrace the comunity and become a cultural hub that is more than just a place that serves food.

When you are just a few metres from the ocean, you have to respect the scenario. Balagan did it by choosing natural light colours for the decoration, that instead of blocking the exterior, invite it inside.

If you decide to stay downstairs, at the Deli Balagan, you can choose between various snacks and light dishes – tahini, hummus, an oriental frenchie, while upstairs, there’s the restaurante with dishes that bring together the eastern roots and Ericeira’s seafood: Shrimp à Bulhão Pato with pita bread or lamb koftas, for example.

The cocktails are a must, the view is one of a kind and the overall feel is of soulful relaxation.

Balagan

Praia do Sul, Ericeira

T: 913 362 452

W: pt.balaganfood.com ouriceiramar.pt

As explained previously, it is believed that the name Ericeira comes from the word ouriço, sea urchin, since there are so many of them around, in the village shores. Nuno Nobre, a gastronomy consultant for 25 years, fell in love with sealife in general and sea urchins in particular while fishing with his dad as a little boy while holidaying in Ericeira. The passion became a life purpose and since 2015 he has been organising the Festival Internacional do Ouriçodo-Mar, with Mafra’s city council.

This year is its 7th edition, and from 10-19 March you can go to Ericeira, learn more about the creature already known as ‘the new caviar’ and, of course, try it.

Based in Ericeira’s market, Ouriçaria, the catering and event business owned by Nobre (yes, he will go to your house and open sea urchins and oysters for you and your guests if you wish) is where to learn how to taste a sea urchin.

For a full meal featuring the star of the festival you’ll have to choose one of the restaurants that partner with the event. During March, there will also be seven signature dinners taking place in restaurants outside the village (and even maybe the country) to honour this unique seafood.

Instagram: nunonobre_consultant

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FIRST VIEW of the Ria Formosa is often a very patchy image of these chaotic and messy marshlands as we approach or depart Faro Airport.

I remember looking down as the aircraft laboured up into the deep blue, wondering how I could get in there and explore those areas… and then turning to the inflight magazine and forgetting all about it. Until I returned, and saw them again...

Greeting my family in the airport, I again forgot about the coastal wetlands until, that is, I was researching a new business...

The plan was to take people on stand-up paddle tours of the coastline and our research phase involved paddling every little bit of blue there was available.

The Ria Formosa is indeed a large patch of blue, especially at high tide, when it stretches 70km from Quinta do Lago and Faro Airport all the way to Cacela Velha, on the Spanish side of Tavira. Those 2014 paddles often started on a wonderfully sturdy ‘river bank’ and ended up with metres of mud to cover before we reached dry ground.

With a three metre variance between low and high tide, the Ria Formosa is like two different places: one a muddy network of crab-covered canyons peppered with sprinkles of a peculiar bush (that you can eat). The second vision is one of high tide and a glassy watery expanse that reaches out to touch the sun as it sets.

Some of my best paddles from Faro have been in the middle of winter – a still evening, gliding through the dark water as the sun sets on Faro Island at 5:30pm. Glorious!

Boats ply the protected waters, many transporting tourists and locals alike out to the network of five barrier islands which form an irregular wall against