Quinta do Lago, one of Europe’s leading luxury lifestyle resort, is set to host one of the most distinctive culinary events of 2026. For three evenings this April, Dutch Master Chef Angélique Schmeinck, the force behind the world’s only hot air balloon restaurant, will bring her celebrated edible painting performances to the Algarve. It is the kind of collaboration that positions the resort firmly at the forefront of gastronomic innovation, and gives guests very little reason to make dinner reservations anywhere else.

Angélique is perhaps best known for founding CuliAir Skydining, the world’s first and only hot air balloon restaurant, a concept that already signals her appetite for the unconventional. Her signature format, edible painting,takes that instinct further still, transforming the opening of each dinner into a live performance in which flavour, texture and colour are composed with the precision of a painter working at a canvas. The results are, by all accounts, as arresting to look at as they are to eat.

Set within the Ria Formosa nature reserve in the Algarve, Quinta do Lago sits just 15 minutes from Faro airport. Long established as a resort of considerable ambition with the Conrad Algarve hotel, a championship golf course and The Campus sports hub among its facilities, it has in recent years developed an equally serious culinary reputation. This April’s events are the latest expression of that.

A Trilogy of Taste

Each dinner follows the same structure. Guests arrive to a welcome cocktail, live music and refined amuse-bouchées, before Angélique takes the floor for her edible painting performance is a carefully choreographed opening act in which flavour combinations and visual composition converge. The kitchen team of each restaurant then assumes control, presenting a tasting menu that reflects their particular culinary character, paired with wines chosen to complement each course.

The format is intelligent. Rather than imposing a single creative vision across three evenings, the collaboration is structured so that Angélique’s performance serves as a prologue to each restaurant’s own identity. The result is a series of dinners that feel coherent as a trilogy while remaining distinct from one another.

Casa Velha: the Portuguese evening

The first dinner in April, takes place at Casa Velha, widely regarded as the gastronomic heart of the resort. The restaurant has built its reputation on a refined interpretation of Portuguese cuisine, working with local, seasonal produce to create dishes that honour tradition without being constrained by it.

The intimate setting of Casa Velha lends itself to this kind of occasion. The dialogue between kitchen, guest and dish is given room to breathe, and the focus on Portugal’s culinary heritage, reimagined with contemporary precision, makes for a dinner that is both grounded and considered.

Casa do Lago: the seafood evening

The following day moves proceedings to Casa do Lago, the resort’s lakeside restaurant and one of its most architecturally striking settings. Fish and seafood take the lead, guided by the Atlantic larder on the resort’s doorstep. The kitchen works with a philosophy of pure flavours, clean preparations and an attentiveness to timing that the genre demands.

The location itself is half the story at Casa do Lago. Positioned at the water’s edge, it provides the kind of setting that, on a warm April evening in the Algarve, requires very little embellishment. The menu does the rest.

Umami: the Asian-inspired evening

The final dinner, is held at Umami, the resort’s contemporary Asian restaurant. Bold flavours, contrasting textures and the balancing of sweet, sour, salty and umami define the kitchen’s approach with a repertoire that makes for a natural partnership with Angélique’s visually expressive style.

Umami’s intimate interior creates the conditions for what the resort describes as a sensory journey of classic Asian influences refined through modern technique, with a European sensibility woven through. It is the most adventurous of the three evenings, and likely the most theatrical.

Beyond the dining room

Guests attending the dinners can extend their visit to take advantage of the broader resort. The Conrad Algarve, the five-star hotel at the heart of the property, is noted for its spacious rooms and views across the natural park. The Campus — a multi-sports hub that counts among Europe’s premier sporting facilities offers everything from state-of-the-art gym facilities to yoga, swimming, and sports camps run by sporting legends, making it well-suited to those who prefer their mornings active before an evening at the table.

Reservations for the Creative Dinner series are available directly through Quinta do Lago. Given the format of tasting menus, a live performance, and seating in some of the Algarve’s finest dining rooms, early booking is advisable.