Restaurante Ocean — Restaurant in Lagoa

It is rare that I feel the need to write a review but in this case I think it is worth it. Having read the other reviews of the Ocean, my wife and I were excited to try it.

Starting with the positives - The service, if a little slow despite not being full, was generally very attentive and the staff were pleasant. The décor and the setting are both stunning and there are few restaurants with better views (we luckily had a table by the window), and if this was what I was rating the restaurant on alone it would score a 10/10, unfortunately this is not the case.

My wife and I opted to go for the smaller tasting menu at 135 Euros a head - which puts in on par, in terms of pricing, with similar 2 star restaurants in central London. Overall, the bill came to 170 euros a head (with only a couple of drinks). They do not offer an A la carte menu which is a major negative to start, especially if your wife is pregnant and can’t eat some of the dishes, they did very little to suggest alternatives. We had to tell the staff what she could and couldn’t eat. The smaller tasting menu is the equivalent of 6 courses. Starting with snacks which consist of four small plates. All four of these were uninspiring and the flavour combinations in some were strange, some lacked flavour and some were just unpleasant (eel and pork).

Moving onto the main dishes. The Swordfish was decent enough if not a little bland, the John Dory was well cooked but could have done with more of the consommé. The Lamb was also well cooked but had an overly sweet crust on the top which it didn’t need (think it was added just so it could be flamed at the table). The Comte course was very poorly executed and the texture of the Fig panna cotta (or whatever it was) really didn’t work. Finally the chocolate orange dessert was equally poorly textured and flavoured and was unpleasant to eat. Overall the main dishes, whilst they showed lots of technical ability in the cooking, the flavour combinations and textures did not work.

Having eaten on many occasions at Michelin Star restaurants and given the price of the meal it was most disappointing. Having overheard some of the comments of other diners on the next door table, I think we were not the only disappointed couple. The chef appears to be trying too hard to put together flavour combinations and textures which actually do not work. Given the technical ability is clearly there, it seems strange that this restaurant lets down so badly on this front.

All in all, I am very surprised this has 2 Michelin stars, if I compare it to other 2 star restaurants I have been to. In fact, plenty of 1 star restaurants produce significantly better food than this, at much better value for money. It is such a shame given the beautiful setting (assuming one of the 4 tables by the window) that this place delivers such...

I wanted to wait until the next day to post so that I wasn't a prisoner of the moment. I'm so glad I did because it confirmed what a wonderful time we had last night with chef Hans Neurner. His dishes are a culinary experience with varied flavors and textures. Imagine a trip where you get to experience southern comfort food from the US, proper French delicacies, curry from south Asia, Italian fine dining, desserts to die for and creativity second to none. Now imagine all of that cuisine could be prepared at one place and presented in a way where each dish transitions seamlessly... that is the best I can do to describe the culinary journey we were treated to last night. I was excited to try Ocean restaurant at Villa Vita Parc, but after reading some of the negative reviews my wife and I had second thoughts. Luckily she persuaded me that we should dine here, and I'm so glad we did. I don't know if those negative reviewers were having a bad day themselves and allowed that to influence their experience, but this restaurant is a well oiled machine. From the service staff to the wine list and every dish that came out of that kitchen, everything was perfect. I would highly recommend this place you will not be disappointed. My wife and I are both vegetarian (I used to eat meat) and the creativity used in these dishes made the experience even more impressive. That being said the diners at the table adjacent to ours also raved about the preparation and presentation of the seafood, beef and pork. After the meal concluded and my wife and I were discussing how impressive everything had been, then the chef invited us back to the kitchen and his enthusiasm, graciousness and humility capped the evening making it one that we will...

A bit of a let down. A number of the dishes from the Brazil tasting menu were great, but there were enough objective issues that reduced the experienced. The main dish of Kobe beef could not be cut through with the steak knife, whether it was the fault of the knife, the cut, or the cooking. There was a very awkward 20-30 minute gap in pacing in the middle of the courses where we sat and became fatigued and uncertain if something was wrong. We were served sparkling water after ordering still (that might seem petty, but in paying 700 euro for 2 people, you expect perfection.) There were also a number of subjective issues. The dining room atmosphere is very dated and in need of a refresh, a number of dishes were overly salty, and the fish served with “corn” lacked flavor to complement the rest of the plate. The main dessert was overwhelming in mint flavor with a mess of other random flavors that didn’t seem to have cohesion or purpose. It was just a plate of different flavors rather than a dish (which could be said in some extent for a few dishes.) I also felt a number of the dishes were not balanced in texture leaving me feeling like something is missing. Of course there were a number of beautifully done moments and dishes, and the staff were very friendly and delivered great service overall, but there were too many lows to go with the highs for...