After a twelve‑month pause that felt longer than it should have, Best Hangovers / Grandes Ressacas returned to Howard’s Folly, and the room responded the way old friends do — with a mix of excitement, relief, and the quiet satisfaction of slipping back into something familiar. The dinner sold out quickly, and by the time guests arrived, the place already had that unmistakable Ressacas hum: glasses clinking, people greeting each other across the room, and the sense that the night was going to unfold exactly as it should.
This edition brought together two winemakers who know how to host a good evening: David Baverstock welcoming Pedro Sanches de Baena of Torre de Palma. In the kitchen, our head chef Allan Janini teamed up with Torre de Palma’s Eduardo Grilo, and the two cooked with the kind of easy rhythm that comes from mutual respect rather than choreography.
The menu opened with Eduardo’s tiborna of Alentejano bread with cabeça de xara, pickled red onion, orange and coriander, paired with Torre de Palma Reserva Branco 2023 — a bright, structured start that set the tone without shouting for attention. Allan followed with focaccia, goat’s cheese, goiabada syrup and basil, matched with HF Sonhador Rosé 2024, a pairing that felt playful and quietly confident.
Eduardo’s next dish — a deconstructed tomato soup with crispy enchidos and egg foam — arrived with Torre de Palma Rosé 2023, a combination that balanced richness and freshness in a way that made people pause mid‑conversation. Allan answered with prawn, pumpkin textures, panko crisp and tenderstem broccoli, paired with HF Sonhador Branco 2024, a wine that lifted the sweetness of the pumpkin and the delicacy of the prawn without ever getting in the way.
The heart of the meal came with Eduardo’s black pork cheeks, charcoal‑grilled orange supreme, migas, served alongside Torre de Palma Musas Tinto 2021 — deep, generous, and exactly the kind of wine that makes sense with slow‑cooked pork. Allan closed the menu with a dessert that felt both comforting and quietly inventive: Dates, cream cheese, citrus, Brazil nut, paired with HF Carcavelos 1995, drew things to a conclusion with its freshness and warmth.
By the time the final plates were cleared, the room had settled into that unmistakable Ressacas rhythm — relaxed, content, and just a little reluctant to leave. David and Pedro moved between tables, topping up glasses, answering questions, and laughing with guests who had clearly been waiting for this series to return.
It felt like a homecoming. Not dramatic, not loud — just right.
And the good news is that the momentum isn’t slowing down. The next dinner, with Blackett, is already set for 26 March, and if this return was anything to go by, it’s going to be another full house.
