O Rui — Restaurant in Faro

Celebrating a December birthday, knowing where to go to eat, what to do that might be different, unusual, exciting...But where, when and how? The weather helped. It was going to be bad. Cold and rainy, but the weather was going to move East, so it was a no brainer...We went West. This led us from Spain, across the border into Portugal, Faro, then Faro beach. We were hungry after the hour and a half drive and the sea was bringing in big waves, but the sun was shining and it was beautifully hot. So, the first restaurant we saw looked interesting. There was a glimpse of a sea view, the menu seemed to be offering things we could eat (we are mostly vegetarian and such meals are difficult to get in Spain), but I was happy to move on and look elsewhere.

My steps were curtailed as a lovely lady asked us, not in any kind of pushy way just very naturally, if we'd like a table. We just said yes, one in the sun please. We were led to a perfect table and a varied menu was given to us. It was easy choosing, so much good stuff on offer. We asked for bread which came with a three part offering of little delights, very tasty. I had a vegetable pasta my wife had a salad. There was plenty on each plate so we shared our meals between us. It was all very tasty. We had to have a dessert of course which looked like it was home made and again full of flavour. The service was very good and the meal was very good value, working out to around forty Euro's for the lot. Service? 5/5 Good menu? 5/5 Value for money? 5/5 Would we go back?...

I decided to try “O Rui” as a typical restaurant near the beach experience. I wouldn’t say it’s the best I’ve had, but it is not one of the worst experiences either. It does what it is supposed to do: serve fresh seafood; the issue is mainly with how the fresh seafood is cooked and its flavor. The fried cuttlefish was nice, but the dough itself could have been better prepared to bring out more flavors. The razor clam rice was served with fried flounder, my main issue here is the razor clam rice itself: the rice passed the boiling point, it was way too watering and should be more rich and creamy, lastly, though you could see pieces and bits of bell pepper in it, all I could taste was the saffron that they overused, it was missing salt and the flavor of ingredients it was cooked with. For a bar close to the beach, you will actually be eating without a direct view to the beach and if you sit outside, your view will be to the road, with cars passing by. Unfortunately, I will not be coming back as I can get much better rice elsewhere. The service was good, though a bit slow, and...

Only the promise of beautiful grilled sardines kept us dipping into the sea just before Sunset after cycling from Faro. Around 8pm the temperature was lovely. The food absolutely incredible. Generous portions of fish freshly cooked. I'm with my gym instructor who also monitors my nutrition. So this restaurant has got to be good! Staff very pleasant and helpful. Great atmosphere as twilight fell. All ages here. Little ones hovering around nearby snack stalls getting ice creams. A memorable night. I've been coming here over the years, avoiding the really busy times. Please try out the delicious sardines for this is truly the best time to try them. Car park next door. Cross the new bridge and there it is. At busy times might be worth reserving a table or two for...