Cris's Place — Restaurant in Funchal

This is a mixed review.,as my partner and i had differing experiences..possibly related to what we ordered. First, the positives, the complimentary glass of fizz was a good start, the prawn 'butter' was delicious, the sorbet was a real palate cleaser. The prawn cocktail was a successful deconstruction and could be described as modern European. The steak and venison and veg were beautifully cooked, although the foie gras added little if anything to the dish in my opinion. The passion fruit souffle was a bit solid but very tasty and balanced excellently with the complimentary semi sweet madeira, so far so good.

The bread was cold,the trio medley was a bit hit and miss..the duck, quail and sausage all lovely..but the risotto had been on the pass for too long and the two sauces were a bit too sweet for my taste. Unfortunately the deep fried prawn was cold and stodgy..and the chef's reasoning that he had many covers to prepare for and so cooked them in advance..knowing they'd come out cold..well decide what you think, but i was disappointed at the approach. I asked for an alternate dessert of a cheese plate and was delighted it could be provided..but it came out on a hot plate (? out of the dishwasher and not cooled down?) and was dressed exactly the same way as the passion fruit souffle..inappropriately in my view.

On the whole, the service was excellent with two minor issues, there was a bit of 'rush' at the start, with bread and prawn butter starter and prawn amuse bouche feeling hurtled towards us although things thankfully settled a bit then. Secondly, I dont appreciate being 'rapped on the knuckles' for pouring my own water or wine..a training/experience issue I think.

So there you have it, has it been my best Madeiran eating experience? No, perhaps i've been a victim of too high expectstion based on reviews. Was it my partner's best Madeiran eating experience? Yes..better food choices perhaps and appropriate presentation.,although there was agreement that the prawn amuse bouche was almost unpleasant.

Will we return? I'd have to be persuaded as over 4 nights it was my second least favourite experience...and it was our most expensive meal by one third..we didnt go for the 45 Euro 'concept' menu. This might all have happened as Madeira gears up after 2 years of covid and Chefs are very busy and new staff need to be trained up..so I suspect we will give it another go..but more months down the line..I did give it 4 stars..although if honest, i'd rather have gone 3.5. Good luck with the 22/23 season, it...

A great experience at an off-the-beaten-track restaurant. The restaurant : Elegant and impeccably presented but still felt really relaxed. Not at all imposing - don't need to get all dressed up. . We went very early so first of the evening diners, but got to about ¾ full later. This was a Monday, mid-May. The staff: very attentive and polite, professional service, yet still made us feel relaxed. The little things set them apart eg asking if wanted a pause before dessert or not, proactively topping up our water, confirming what they were serving without making a performance out of it as other places can. The food: Not a huge range of choices but to me, that's good - I'm suspicious that places with an enormous menu can't be using fresh produce, nor be good at all the dishes . Better a few things done well. One particularly good sign: when my wife asked if certain dishes had garlic, they said they could make it without. You just can't do that unless doing things from scratch. Very well cooked and presented beautifully. Tasted great - no need to spice or salt things up the wazoo when the food is good in the first place. Value: astonishingly good. A fixed price of €57.50 for starter, main & dessert plus coffee (or tea etc) Said it included wine, soft drink or water. We expected one glass to be included but actually, we got offered and took both white, then red (they also had rosé). They also periodically offered to top up too. Two nice surprises they didn't even mention - a welcome glass of sparkling wine/prosecco or whatever Portuguese version is called (!); and a small lemon sorbet as a "palette cleanser" between starter and main. For sure,...

More than lives up to the hype, here's my 5 stars to add to all the others.

I suggest making a reservation rather than simply rocking up, as although there was availability when we booked, Cris was very much in demand, his place quickly filled up, and as the pile of deserved 5 star reviews grows ever higher, booking may become a prerequisite.

What a fabulous place: welcome warm, service friendly and efficient provided by knowledgeable and enthusiastic servers who clearly share Cris's passion, the wine delicious, the food ... I can't think of a superlative which does the food justice, I'm sure either a food blogger or restaurant critic could though.

To kick things off, we were offered either a sparkling wine or gin and tonic, welcome drink on the house, thanks Cris, don't mind if I do.

Then, in between ordering and arrival of the Appetisers: a choice of 3 types of bread accompanied by salmon pate And an amuse-bouche of fried scabbard fish and passion fruit sauce.

I opted for the prawns to start with, my wife the Foie Gras.

Then, the lamb shank for me, tender and delicious, smoked grouper for Denise.

Chocolate fondant to round things off, semi fredo for Denise.

Whilst on holiday, each of us decides where to go to dinner each day, the rule being that if it aint your turn, you don't question the choice.

Then, for the last night and to try and ensure that the night is memorable, we revisit our favourite place.

The winner was decided then and there although there are still a...