Sereia is the latest creation of Portuguese superstar Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa
The laws of mutual attraction in the world of fine cuisine are now in full force in Miami, with its growing culinary scene luring more of the world’s top talent. With fourteen Michelin-starred restaurants, and world-renowned chefs such as Joël Robuchon, Thomas Keller, Jeremy Ford and Shingo Akikuni running establishments here, Miami has become a gustatory playground with its own gravitational field.
The latest culinary great to be drawn into the Miami orbit is Chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, a Portuguese master of seafood whose Lisbon restaurant Alma owns a coveted two stars from Michelin. Besides several other places in Portugal, Sá Pessoa has restaurants in Amsterdam (Arca), London ( JOIA), and Macao (Chiado). A key figure in modern Portuguese cuisine, he has authored cookbooks and made numerous television appearances, including as the guide for Anthony Bourdain in Lisbon for the “No Reservations” series.
Now Sá Pessoa has landed in Miami with Sereia, an elegantly understated restaurant tucked away behind a courtyard on Main Highway not far from the old Coconut Grove Playhouse. Opened just six months ago, Sá Pessoa has created a menu at Sereia that he describes as “Atlantic cuisine using local ingredients” – one that uses as much as possible from local waters and farms. “It’s very much inspired by what we do back home, but I didn’t want to fly everything from Portugal,” he says, citing environmental concerns. “Some have to come from there, but I try to source the fish, for example, from the Atlantic coast and Florida.”
One of the dishes that does require a fly-in is the Bacalhau à Brás ($44), which uses salted cod that Sá Pessoa’s executive chef Miguel Massens flakes and slowly cooks in olive oil with crispy potato strings, caramelized onion, and black olives, then presents in a terrine with an egg on top to mix in for a rich creamy texture. This is real Portuguese comfort food, salty, chewy, grainy, and musky, with a wonderful rich flavor. On the other end of the Lisbon/Local scale is their wahoo crudo ($28), covered in a creamy lime/citrus sauce punctuated by fried sweet potato chips. It comes across as a bit viscous, but the chips balance out the dish nicely.
The rest of the menu is a playground for Sá Pessoa’s culinary imagination, drawing on his Portuguese roots combined with a lifetime of traveling the world and working in some of the top restaurants in the world before starting his own, creating in Sereia what he calls “a seafood-forward restaurant with bold, new flavors.” Some of the best we tried included seared scallops ($36) cooked in a fish stock reduction with cumin oil (‘for an Iberian Peninsula flavor’), then served in a pea and mint puree with candied maple bacon bits. A new and bold flavor bathed in an airy light sauce.
While sides are usually downplayed, those served at Sereia are showstoppers. Their Alho Francês Tostado ($16) are grilled leeks served on a pool of romesco sauce and topped with hazelnuts and arugula. Who knew the humble leek could be so elevated. Even more impressive, and one of the evening’s favorites, was the Peixinhos da Horta ($14), green beans lightly fried in a tempura batter and served with an aioli tartar sauce.
For those who want more of a Portuguese country dish, the Pica Pau ($32) is a kind of beef stew comprised of flashed seared pieces of filet mignon with garlic and a white wine/mustard sauce and pickled vegetables. You will want to mop up this umami taste with bread.
It is impossible to cover all the menu items here, except to say there were no disappointments and many subtle twists to the traditional – like their simple-sounding Salada de Tomate ($14), a flavorful delight with lemon vinaigrette, candied walnuts, watermelon, heirloom tomatoes, and arugula, or their slow-cooked then crisped pork belly served with potato pave and spinach puree ($54). Their desserts, meanwhile, are from another world – don’t miss the sweet rice custard with candied crispy rice and caramel sauce ($14).
In a city that is assaulted by new restaurants with aggressive presentations and predictable menus, Sereira is a wonderfully elegant counter-post, a quiet haven for inventive, sophisticated flavors that raises the bar for fine dining in Miami.
