Alvaro Siza's Boa Nova Tea House on the rocky shoreline of Leça da Palmeira, in Matosinhos, outside Porto, which has stood empty for several years and was badly deteriorated, has been restored. The town of Matosinhos ceded the building to the local non-profit Casa da Arquitectura (ACA), which commissioned Siza for the restoration. Chef Rui Paula will open a small restaurant in the space, scheduled to begin operations in June. The Tea House, which was completed in 1963, is one of Siza's first works. It is a classified National Monument in Portugal.
This is one of my favorite places, and I was shocked to see it empty and falling apart two years ago. When was it that I actually had tea there, after a long hike up the coast? Now things look better, though the idea of an ambitious chef aiming for a Michelin in this tiny shrine seems a bit out of place. Everything was so much smaller in the 1960s! And the worn wood furnishings, the rustic feel, its intimate hold on the rocks, the sense that it had to be put it back together every springtime after being lashed by winter storms.
Sources
"CASA DA ARQUITECTURA assina contrato de arrendamento da Casa de Chá com o Chef Rui Paula"
Casa da Arquitectura webpage, no date
"Casa de Chá da Boa Nova reabre em junho"
Matosinhos Cámera Municipal webpage
March 17, 2014
Abel Coentrão
"Chef Rui Paula desafiado a conseguir estrela Michelin para a Casa de Chá da Boa Nova"
Publico
March 17, 2014
Photo:
news.zhulong.com
Update
See the finished restoration and new terrace:
José Juan Barba
La renovada Casa de Chá de Siza, ahora es el Restaurante del Chef Rui Paula
Metalocus
July 19, 2014
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| Source: Metalocus Photo © Jaoa Morgado |
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