Akua — Restaurant in Funchal

The wisdom of the crowd theory may be flawed after all - a 4.8 rating is, in my opinion, overhype for this establishment. Here is why I say that: We were greeted upon arrival, and after confirming the reservation, the maitre'd passed us on to our waitress. She was a bit pushy, basically demanding that we make a choice immediately. The unpleasant attitude continued all the way, but we didn't let it affect us. The rest of the staff was very pleasant and helpful. No wine or water was poured for us throughout the dinner - not that big of a deal, but you'd expect a bit more attention, at least ask people how everything is tasting. Starters - the house made bread was very good and it was accompanied by some olives marinated in orange peel, a delectable twist. The choice of butter could have been better, however. The grouper carpaccio was served with loads of cilantro and spiced soy mayo, and the moment we tasted it, we understood why. Grouper is a very mild tasting fish, a lot like seabass, and shouldn't have a strong taste. This dish, however, tasted fishy. On a Friday, on an island in the middle of the ocean, there's no good excuse for this. Oysters were excellent - plump, sweet, and very satisfying. Main course - 1) Market fish with pasta. The fish itself was fresh and tasty, but the skin was left wet and gummy instead of crisped up (see video). The pasta (Israeli couscous with some green sauce) was OK, but its only flavor was salt. 2) Braised Tuna - I'd call that seared Tuna as it was only superficially cooked, not cooked through. Unfortunately, instead of the nice pink interior usually achieved with this technique, the meat looked gray and unappealing. The taste was not bad. Overall, with the quality of the fish at their disposal here, this should have been spectacular instead of mediocre. Wine - we had a bottle of Ti Julio Rose from Alentejo, pretty decent. The restaurant interior is very simple, 2 floors with an additional few tables outside, kitchen is open plan on the first floor. Again, friendly staff, just try not to get that one waitress (I noticed another reviewer mentioned her). All in all, this restaurant is quite pretentious and overrated, and you're better off eating at any one of the family operated businesses with honest, straightforward food. There are quite a few of those, just ask a local or see where the...

As foodie you search for a dish that blows you away. Akua gave me a foodie experience that did just that.A top 2 seafood dish. I was amazed. And the best part..I was not expecting that at all.

We were on a cruise to Funchal and wanted to eat dinner outside of the ship. Basically there was two choices Akua and another restaurant that was cheaper but without possibility to make reservations. With Akua we were lucky to get seats. It was full even at the earliest seating.

I must say it was an amazing experience. Service was great and so friendly. But everyone in Funchal is so nice. The place looks really fancy. If you get the chance ask to sit at the counter and see them cook infront of you. We got seats outside and tbh was kinda scary if it started to rain. But it stayed dry.

We got the tacos , bread and the Red prawn Risotto. There was also an amuse bouche.

Everything was great, but the red prawn Risotto was simply amazing. I am calling it risotto for now , but it’s not really. It’s wetter. Is like very thick broth rice dish. The red prawns also known als carabineros in Spain is only found in the Iberic peninsula it seems. Never tried it elsewhere. This prawn was the size of the river prawns in Thailand and seems like a small lobster. Easy the size of my hand. Eating this dish comes with Instructions and I suggest you follow it. You removed the heads of the prawns and than squeezed the juices etc form the head into the rice dish. Than you mix it. And when you get your first bite…you are simply overwhelmed by the taste and the umami of the dish. It simply blew me away. It invoked memories of a Chinese dish I use to eat in Singapore somehow. A dish I have craved and looked for a long time. I don’t know why. But it was an amazing experience.

The price is high for Funchal and Spain. But keep in mind that carabineros are really expensive and to me worth every penny.

Akua and this dish is forever ingraved in my memory and is a must try if you are...

We had “ceviche”—and I’m putting that in quotation marks. It was horrendous. Some sort of coconut milk concoction with absolutely no flavor and mediocre fish at best. Impossible to call it ceviche. They topped it off with a kind of pumpkin purée reduction that made no sense whatsoever, plus a handful of corn nuts that added a truly awful crunch and had nothing to do with the dish. A very original way to ruin a piece of fish.

The tuna tartare was shaped like an ice cream cone—way too sweet—with small cubes of tuna inside. Barely passable as a starter, but in no way should it be called tartare. Way too sweet for my taste.

Then we had codfish tacos, which were an absolute disaster. Overwhelmed by mustard and wrapped in some kind of fancy dough—again, too sweet. It’s as if they think they can “reinvent” regional dishes that rely on quality ingredients and simple execution, but they have neither the products nor the taste—just “creativity,” and not the good kind.

We also tried a kind of slow-cooked pork with creamy buckwheat. The pork was the only thing I liked, but at 27 euros it was still pretty disappointing—not even plated properly. The creamy buckwheat had all the salt the ceviche was missing.

The wine deserves its own chapter… tragicomic. They proudly present their house white wine, complete with a photo of the chef’s grandmother on the label. Sadly, it costs 28 euros and is completely unremarkable. With that money, you could buy a DOCG like a Nobile, or even a Brunello online.

I skipped dessert. Honestly, we felt ripped off. We sent the tacos back (they were inedible) and asked to swap them for a tartare, but they still charged us for them. We were five people, spent 300 euros, and left deeply, deeply disappointed.

It seems like anything goes these days. A total...