CHEF’S CAFE & MORE officially opened its doors, and of course I had to go along and try out what they had on offer.
Having recently checked out the newly refurbished CHEF’S KITCHEN, which now includes Masterchef 2019 runner up Daniel Marreiros as part of the talented team of chefs, I noticed that the ground floor had been enclosed and that there was a deli counter (albeit empty at the time) installed.
Upon enquiring with the owner Silvie Pedroso, as to what was happening in this space below CHEF’S KITCHEN, she informed me that she had taken on a Pastry Chef, and that the downstairs area was going to be a daytime coffee venue.
With a chique off white and neutrals interior makeover, unique structural adornments playfully embellished in the ofset placemats, and with seating smattered with tastefully appointed cushions, this chique new coffee venue on Carvoeiro’s Rua do Barranco has a clean but artfully rendered interior. It is a small, cozy venue, with a few tables street side.

The minimalist interior seems deliberate, as if not to distract from the star of the show, being the epic pastries, cookies, cakes and other baked good including artisan sourdough bread, creatively crafted by the new Pastry Chef Sara Pepio, a truly talented lady with incredible creativity and clear love for what she does, which is evident in every bite of every pastry we tried.
ABOUT THE PASTRIES…
One of my most closely guarded secrets is my Chocolate Brownie Recipe, which I obtained from an antique American cookbook written in the 1940’s. In fact, I have it memorised. When it comes to Chocolate Brownies, I am purest. I get so frustrated when people add thick layers of frosting onto a dense chocolate cake and call it a Brownie. I am often sooooo disappointed when I order Brownies in restaurants, as nobody ever seems to get it right.

A proper brownie is composed of three layers, the cakey part on the bottom, the gooey bit in the middle, and a meringue textured crust on top. This is the first time I have ever had a proper Brownie other than my own. If anybody wants to know what the perfect Brownie should taste like, CHEF’S CAFE have got it down to perfection. Just being able to get Brownie right was for me the first indication that the new Pastry Chef really knows what is what, having rendered this classic bake with true perfection. For the quality and size, the price tag of 4 Euros, seemed extremely fairly priced.

The Dubai Chocolate is super popular at the moment and seems to be everywhere, even having made its way into the posh local supermarket Apolonia. For those who do not know, the Dubai Chocolate is characterised by a filling of pistachio butter / creme, and crunchy Kataifi pastry, which is akin to a stringy filo pastry. Being bang on trend, CHEF’S CAFE offered up a croissant version of the Dubai Chocolate, complete with a kataifi crunch and decadent pistachio creme. This was my favourite bite that we tried, and at 8 euros, I compared it to the Crouffle dish (waffle iron toasted croissant with biscoff cream and berries) from a neighbouring venue, which is 50% more expensive, and I actually found the Dubai Croissant to be the better of the two.

I do love a good eclair, being one of my childhood favourites, but this upscaled version was something quite different, being topped with a crunch coconut macaroon layer, coconut swirl and passionfruit custard filling. I nearly fell off my chair eating this tasty morsel. It was so outrageously good, it should be illegal.

I am crazy about doughnuts too, but I did not get a chance to try any out on my first visit, given that I was borderline diabetic by the time I walked out, but these upscale artisan doughnuts are on my list for my next visit.


This is everything that has been missing from Carvoeiro, world class pastries to go with some lovely beverage offerings…. And of course I could not leave without taking something home with me, and so I opted for this delicious Sourdough bread loaf, which is by far the best sourdough bread I have ever eaten.
For the quality of what was on offer, and in comparison to other coffee venues in Carvoeiro, I found CHEF’S CAFE & MORE to be exceptional value for the quality of what was on offer.
CHEF’S CAFE & MORE is for sure, the go to place for coffee in 2025!
See you there xx
PEACE LOVE UNITY RESPECT
Mel Ve
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