Chef Rui Paula

When it comes to Porto cuisine, Rui Paula is the name that immediately springs to mind, even though his first restaurant was in Alijó, high up in the Douro Valley. It was in 2007 that he moved closer to Porto, opening DOC in Folgosa, the heart of the Douro Wine Region, and then in 2010 DOP in the historic centre of Porto. In 2014, he restored the Casa de Chá da Boa Nova in Leça da Palmeira, which has since been awarded two Michelin stars. He has been a regular on TV programmes such as Masterchef Portugal since 2014. He describes his cuisine as “simple, technical and visually beautiful: all it takes is flavour, texture and beauty.”