Marlene Vieira teams with Enrico Marmo for a Portuguese-Italian culinary showcase in Lisbon

3^rd November 2023

Mersa Auda

Mersa Auda

3 November 2023

Portuguese chef Marlene Vieira has made a name for herself in the fine dining world by maintaining a firm focus on national cuisine. Her restaurant Marlene sits on the edge of the river Tagus harbour in Lisbon and, since opening in 2020, it has quickly become a favourite destination for local foodies and fine-dining connoisseurs. Showcasing traditional Portuguese gastronomy in its most modern expression, Vieira adds a personal touch that makes her menus as approachable and creative as she is.

Marlene’s desire to place Portuguese cuisine at the forefront of Europe’s fine-dining conversation couldn’t have been expressed more clearly or more authentically than with her seasonal dinners project. This series consists in a number of evening gatherings centred around a collaboration between Viera and an international chef co-creating a one-off menu. Combining their styles, their favoured key ingredients and their signature dishes, the two chefs present a truly unique experience available for one night only.

Following a successful round of seasonal dinners that saw top Portuguese chefs come to Marlene as collaborating guests, Vieira decided to expand the project with a second edition, this time with an international scope. The first of these dinners featured Slovenian chef Ana Roš, while the second international guest was Enrico Marmo, currently heading the team at Michelin-starred Balzi Rossi in Ventimiglia, northwest Italy. Hailing from the Piedmont region but working in Liguria, Marmo shares Marlene’s passion for retaining local flavours and elevating them with sophisticated techniques.

The collaborative dinner with Marmo took place on 25^th October. It was especially memorable and all the more enjoyable due to its ephemeral nature: the combination of elements that made the evening, starting from the menu, would not be replicated, so every moment and every bite were fully savoured in their unicity. The evening began with welcome drinks at Zunzum Gastrobar, a sleek bar and eatery located next door to Marlene and set up by Vieira herself to offer a more casual alternative to those interested in her work. When diners eventually move into the dimly lit, plant-filled Marlene to enjoy the dinner, the first element that stands out, inevitably, is the open kitchen at the centre. The main feature of the space and a stage for the stars of the night (namely, the chefs) the kitchen is encircled with diners’ seats facing the staff at work, thus affording a full view of the action.

The 12 plates on the menu were full of surprising flavour pairings. As the creations of Vieira and Marmo were presented alternatingly, the overall feeling was that of a dialogue between cuisines and styles. Highlights included Marmo’s Topinambur, Endive, Hazelnut and Alba White Truffle – an ode to autumn and to Piemdmont – as well as his superb Grilled Escarole, Bone Marrow, Rosemary Milk and Fermented Prunes, a vegetable-based second course that ​​recreates the appearance and texture of tender roast meat, without placing actual meat in the dish. Meanwhile Marlene treated diners with Seabass, Goose Barnacles, Seaweed and Portuguese Couscous, a dish that celebrates the country’s seafood tradition, and then delighted them with Wagyu Beef, Bimi Broccoli, Chanterelles and Roasted Garlic – a more modern dish that Vieira usually prepares with local certified Wagyu. Seasonality and sustainability play an important role in the creation of Marlene’s menus, so the presence of autumnal flavours was prominent on this occasion.

The wine pairing curation and service were a joint effort between Gabriela Marques and Lorenzo Moraldo, sommeliers at Marlene and at Balzi Rossi, respectively. The producer of choice was Niepoort, a leading name in Portuguese winemaking, represented on the night by a sixth-generation member of the dynasty, Daniel Niepoort. Among others, the wines presented included the Sparkling Água Viva (2017), the recently launched Ururabo (2019), a very special Poeirinho Garrafeira (2012) and a Niepoort Colheita port (1997) to accompany the dessert course. Part of the success of the event was indeed made possible thanks to the wonderful synergy between the wines and the creations of the chefs.

A real advocate for her culinary heritage, Marlene goes beyond organising the one night events: the collaborative menu is not only an exchange of skills and knowledge between professionals, but it acts as a way to promote Portuguese cuisine internationally. That is why the main event is preceded and followed by team-bonding activities in which Marlene and her group become ambassadors for Portugual, acting as guides to the guest team. Visits to local produce markets or to iconic restaurants serving typical dishes are an opportunity for Vieira to showcase the best that her land has to offer, gastronomically speaking, and actively spread the word about the innovative work being done by herself and her colleagues, so as to give Portuguese cuisine the recognition it deserves.

Mersa Auda

For further information and to book a table at Marlene (Lisbon, Portugal) visit the restaurant’s website here.