Rampa — Restaurant in Monchique

This charming ramshackle cottage is on the side of the road, a couple of kilometres from the top of Foia mountain summit. First impressions and you'd think it's closed, but walking up the ramp to the entrance will see you greeted by your host. His dry sense of humour and his masterful use of English is both welcoming and entertaining. I ordered Piri Piri (obviously) and my partner ordered Carbonara and it was delivered promptly and efficiently. It was a huge portion for both of us, probably one would have done us both. The piri piri was divine, and although I didn't realise it, the whole chicken was already marinated in the infamous sauce, so the addition of a small bowl made me dip into it thinking that was the only sauce. I love the heat of the birds eye chillies, but almost immediately I had a running nose and was sweating! Sheer heaven. The view was sublime whilst we ate, looking over the foothills towards Monchique and our host was more than a little disappointed neither of us could finish our dishes. It must be a bit of a golden find because even locals were stopping in for their lunch, and all in all it was very reasonably priced. The only downside was some English tourists who were expecting the Ritz dining room, complaining about...

Had dinner here for what seemed like a fair price—if you’re into paying for bland, uninspired food. The culinary experience was about as thrilling as watching paint dry, but the real showstopper was the atmosphere. We were greeted with the warmth of a glacier and treated like we’d crashed a private party.

The owner? A real charmer—if you’re a fan of watching someone mistreat their staff. She barked orders at the waitress like she was more of an inconvenience than an employee. And don’t even think about striking up a conversation if you’re not from the UK; she only had time for her fellow Brits. As a cherry on top, we watched in disbelief as she fed some of the same food we were served to her dog, who was conveniently chained up nearby. I’m really hoping the frosty reception had nothing to do with our ethnicity or sexual preference, but at this point, who knows? It was a masterclass in how not to run...

We had a lovely dinner at Rampa last night. The French hostess was very welcoming and attended to all of our choices and questions.

I had the steak with fries and pepper sauce and my partner had the Cod with finely sliced potatoes. My steak was very good. The overall taste of both dishes was very good.

There was a good atmosphere and on a mister, cool evening it reminded us of a cosy ski lodge.

We thanked the chef through the hatch as we left and enjoyed the...