Ristorante Villa Cipriani (Italian) - Review - Madeira, Portugal (7.5/10)

For a summary of all restaurants, have a look at Where To Eat In Madeira, Portugal

Part of Reid’s Palace Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Villa Cipriani is an Italian restaurant located on the cliff-tops, with a stunning view of the sea. It shares its heritage with Hotel Cipriani in Venice, and the chef also worked there for several years.

Having booked a table on the prized terrace only the night before, we had high expectations. The atmosphere was relaxed, and it was nice to see a family of three generations dining next to us, celebrating a little girl’s birthday.

The menu looked exciting (they also have a special children’s menu), with antipasti such as carpaccio of beef tenderloin, marinated artichokes in olive oil and lemon, rucola and Parmesan slivers and pan-fried quail breast salad with watercress, fois gras and pomegranate vinaigrette. Pastas included sauteed pennette with rucola, spicy cherry tomato sauce and smoked ricotta cheese, while a risotto with ceps and Parmesan sounded very tempting. Finally, there were four fish mains: roast monkfish fillet, fillets of gilt head bream, red mullet fillets and fillet of sea bass; and four meat mains: sauteed calf’s liver, fillet of beef, veal saltimbocca and stuffed chicken breast.

The seafood salad starter was excellent value for money, considering how much seafood there was - scallop, squid, sea bass and prawn. The starter size Taleggio ravioli was exquisite and not at all rich as one might expect. I really regret not having chosen this as my main. We then had to wait far too long for the plates to be cleared, while the waiters did not look particularly rushed off their feet.

My main course of fillet of bass with olives, tomato confit and balsamic vinegar finally arrived. It was a good sized chunk of fish, nicely grilled on top, but unfortunately ever so slightly on the dry side. My father-in-law thought the same about his. Pasta would have been the best choice, as someone else had pasta as a main and found it to be perfect.

Overall, the service was slow, but the waiters were friendly and the fabulous setting more than made up for the slow service. Reserve a table out on the terrace, as this is what makes Villa Cipriani truly special. The bill for four people, including drinks, came to about 270 Euros (not including tip).

10 - Perfection, 9.5 - Sensational, 9 - Outstanding, 8.5 - Superb,
8 - Excellent, 7.5 - Very good, 7 - Good, 6.5 - Above Average, 6 - Average

Contact Details:
Villa Cipriani
Reid’s Palace Hotel
Estrada Monumental 139
9000-098 Funchal
Madeira
Tel: +351 291 717 171
Fax: +351 291 717 177
reservations@reidspalace.com
www.reidspalace.com

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide