More than a year, 1811, is a space built with gastronomy in mind, blending the excellence of food with the elegance of wine.
A wooden door embodies the age of the building. The room it reveals though, is decorated with a pragmatic simplicity. A quick glance and you easily figure out what it is all about: Cheese, cooked meats and mostly wine.
This ‘isn’t a wine bar, but it does have wine’. The pun is used by Roberto Caldeira in an attempt to describe the unique concept behind 1811. This is a bistro and Wine Bar but the head of this new project stresses how it is a different place, with a different offer.
Wine cuts across the whole of the concept. The 1811 occupies part of the Adegas de São Francisco, the wine lodge of Blandy’s Madeira, one of the most important producers of the rich wine that bears the island’s name.
The tannins can almost be felt in the air, impregnating the centuries old wooden beams of the old convent and the barrels in which Madeira Wine ages, calmly. The twist is that in 1811, wine bottles can be found in every nook and crane of the room, covering walls. There are, after all, over 250 Portuguese references, from all regions, plus wines from other countries and over 40 distinct Madeira wines, some of which are quite rare. And, of course, there are Portuguese sparkling wines, ever more famous, as well as several brands of champagne.
Almost a hundred options can be drank by the glass. And all of that may serve as the simple starting point for a tasting experience that includes food, one of the things that differentiates this place. There is much to be savoured. Starting with tapas, under the pretext of gathering friends around a table, with a good glass of wine. There is alheira à brás, black marlin with curry sauce, or a black angus beef tataki smoked in Madeira Wine barrel staves. These are nicely complemented by vegetarian options such as the arugula crepe with an orange reduction.
Other more sturdy options include steaks, several cheeses and Portuguese cooked meats, all products coming from regions with a Protected Designation of Origin. You can find cheese from São Jorge or pork from Trás-os-Montes to entice your appetite and start your journey across a tasting menu combined with wine service ranging from your choices to the advice given by staff.
At lunchtime, there is the option of a fast service, timed for 30 minutes. For dinner, though, it is worth having some time to spend feasting with these gastronomic delights in a vintage room with a cosy environment. This Bistro and Wine Bar takes its name from the year of the arrival of the first member of the Blandy family. At 1811 however, history stays at the door. It is a relaxed, modern, casual yet sophisticated space.
It offers a full set, made of varied gastronomic sensations with interesting food and fine beverage. It integrates a space of tradition for Madeira Wine at the same time offering much more. It is a place created as a treat for your senses, for the pleasure of savouring food, for the opportunity to taste some of the best products and wines out there, from Portugal and beyond.
Even if you do not go there for the food, drinking wine by the glass is always a good excuse to linger and enjoy the tones of the early evening sky and the quiet movement of the Municipal park of Funchal. The 1811 is a thrill for the senses.
