Meet Rui Silva (Euskalduna Studio*), winner of Chef Balfegó Portugal 2024

Chef Rui Silva, from Euskalduna Studio* restaurant in Porto, is the winner of the second edition of Chef Balfegó Portugal, which will allow him to represent Portugal in the grand international final of the competition. We describe his figure, his professional profile and his current work in Porto.

Rui Silva began his academic career at the Escola Hotelaria e Turismo in Viana do Castelo. As part of this course he did an internship at the French restaurant Relais de La Poste**, run by chef Jean Cosseau. He then returned to Porto to continue his training at the Porto School of Hospitality and Tourism. During this time he worked in several restaurants in the city, when he finished the course the opportunity arose to do a nine-month internship at Mugaritz**, in Spain. Upon his return to Portugal, he was invited by Chef Vasco Coelho Santos to join the Euskalduna Studio* team, and is currently the Chef de Cuisine of the restaurant, awarded with a MICHELIN Star. Since 2023, he is also a teacher at the Escola de Hostelería do Porto and at the Escuela de Hostelería de Viana do Castelo.

Euskalduna Studio* is a small and very personal restaurant located in a central area of ​​the city of Porto.

The space is divided into two tables located at the entrance of the premises…

…and a spectacular bar that reminds us of those used in Japan.

Rui Silva works alongside Vasco Coelho Santos with national and seasonal products, obtained from small producers throughout the country, promoting sustainability and honouring Portuguese gastronomy in each dish.

The izakaya style incorporates red tuna as an essential product. Currently, in their tasting menu, the Tuna and White Garlic dish is made with Balfegó bluefin tuna, which is carefully matured and accompanied with white garlic, as a nod to the Spanish cuisine so present in their recipes.

Get to know Rui Silva and the kitchen at Euskalduna Studio a little better in the following video: