Eating out in Rio

¡Venga!

2009-07-20T00:39:00.004-03:00

I don’t think multiculturalism is at all a bad thing. What is a bad thing is when the lack of proper integration generates conflicts. Different cultures start living together, and different value systems start clashing. Neither is usually willing to give up on their customs and traditions, and mostly they shouldn’t. What should happen is the more tolerant system should be prevalent.

I accept that I may have a strong bias toward a western individualistic mindset. I believe each person is responsible for their own actions. If a sexy girl dressed in a mini-skirt draws the eyes and mind of a devout Christian or Muslim away from god and directs them to her pretty bottom, that’s his problem, not hers. She shouldn’t be in any way punished or coaxed into covering herself.

So, when western liberal democracies have the power to do so, they should enforce their values. I admit, it does sound bizarre to force people to be tolerant, but that is the way it is. This enforcement should not, in any way, repress the peaceful, non-violent, cultural expressions that so enrich our lives, with sights, sounds, flavours and smells different from the ones to which we are used. Just that, when individual liberty is at stake, when someone believes he is entitled to surgically remove his baby daughter’s clitoris, to force an unwilling young bride into marriage or to stone to death a rape victim for losing her virginity, that is not a “legitimate part of their culture that should be respected”. It is barbaric behaviour and it is our duty to protect the innocent and fragile victims of these practises. Our society is not, and should not be, based on the protection of collective groups or general cultures. It is based, as it should, on the protection of the rights of the individual. If these basic values are upheld – something that necessarily includes little girls getting to keep their clitorises and unmarried women not getting their skulls ruptured just because their hymens were - there is absolutely nothing wrong with the “multi-kulti”, cosmopolitan way of life. In fact, I wish we had more of it.

I miss casually bumping into people from all over the world and learning from them. As I’ve remarked before, I miss Turkish Kebab stands, decent Indian food, a Vietnamese restaurant, somewhere to eat the mild Malaysian curries, Morrocan cuisine, and many more kinds of food that should be here, but aren’t. I miss that there seldom are surprises. I miss a more cosmopolitan feel and atmosphere.

I also used to miss, quite a lot, a good place to eat tapas. Not anymore. ¡Venga! is the charming new place in Dias Ferreira street that has come to fill that void. It does, however, suffer from that flaw, repeated time and time again in Rio, and in Leblon especially: it’s too fancy for its own good.

First, the good stuff: Tapas are great. Really, really good. The squid was extremely fresh, the pata negra ham is excellent, and even the creative stuff, such as the egg-yolk, truffle oil and asparagus tapa, was remarkably well-made. They didn’t screw up when they easily could – that in itself is an achievement. Try a bit of everything, you’ll be quite surprised every now and again.

I would say that in the world of culinary reviews, tapas bars are probably the hardest ones to do. Not for the sophistication, nor the details – they’re supposed to be quite straightforward – but it’s usually quite hard to remember the last half of the night. If you do, your experience will be severely lacking in authenticity and you’ll be a poor judge of the place. This is not meant as a place for the weak-livered or the teetotaller. And this place won't be found wanting in the alcoholic department. The sangria isn´t bad at all.

But, as I said before, ¡Venga! has one serious, maybe fatal flaw: it doesn’t feel like a tapas bar. Yes, the decor is very spanishy and some details are even surprisingly accurate. The tapas display at the end of the bar made me think of Madrid, and it’s nice to have bottles of beer stacked in wooden shelves above your head. You can see a lot of thought went into it. But there’s none of the open atmosphere for meeting people, no grumpy owner upset over Atlético de Madrid’s woes and the 30 kilos his now matronly wife put on since marriage. ¡Venga! is a place where one would feel out of place approaching pretty strangers just to tell them that if you were a little more drunk and a little less shy you’d say that her hair smells like an orange orchard, which matches the fact that her skin feels like peaches and her lips look as juicy as raspberries, and that is just perfect ‘cause you are dying for a fruit salad right now. Tapas bars are the home of the corny conversation opener. To have one that makes people uncomfortable at these attempts is almost criminal.

There are well-dressed waiters that occasionally and randomly take way too long. Some tapas were in just as soon as they were ordered; others took well over twenty minutes. Overall, service was lousy, but since it’s still relatively new, it should improve as the staff are properly trained.

Maybe just as bad as being a regular bar that serves tapas, instead of being a proper tapas bar, is ¡Venga!’s price. I admit that we may have overindulged a little bit (not by much, I swear), but even then, R$75 per person was too much for some sangria and a few appetizers. Or maybe it is because of the price that you get caught up in the fanciness of the place and forget that it is supposed to be somewhere to drink first, eat later; to not really use a menu to pick your food, but to side with the owner’s team in whatever argument arises and hope that better food will come of it; to come with one group of friends and leave with another one, with new best friends, the names of which you probably won’t remember the next day.

Maybe it’s not the bar’s fault, but the carioca’s, for being less open to new people and experiences than we should, for only rarely being open to strike conversations with the neighbouring tables and for not really embracing strangers as we should. Whatever the reasons, ¡Venga!, for its food and sangria, is great as a place to go with friends. Just don’t expect to leave with new ones, nor, for that matter, with much money left in your wallet.

¡Venga! - R. Dias Ferreira, 113B, Leblon. Tel +552125129826.

Verdict: 2.5/5 - A bar that mistakenly thought the most important thing in a tapas bar should be the tapas.

Capricciosa

2009-06-08T17:17:00.004-03:00

I honestly believe all drugs should be legal. Yes, they are bad for you. Yes, using them can have dire consequences. Prohibition, however, is worse. Aside from the liberty argument, which should suffice by itself – that the state has no right to regulate what substances an adult may or may not choose to have in his own body – there are plenty of other reasons to repeal prohibition.

First of all, it’s a victimless crime. All of the involved willingly and knowingly participate in the deal. It’s just like any regular trade; the difference is what is being traded. Also, prohibition doesn’t work. No matter how much money is spent, how many people are imprisoned, how many lives are lost, there are, and in the foreseeable future there will continue to be drugs on the street and, despite all the efforts, the trend for drug prices has been down for quite a while. Prohibition also incentivises a violent business practice. Since conflicts in the drug world can’t be settled in courts, as they should, violence is usually how disputes are settled. Bringing the drug trade to the rule of law means more protection for consumers, more opportunities for treatment, less violence and less lives lost unnecessarily.

The people at Capricciosa, the pizzeria just down the street from Bráz, probably disagree with me. Not that they are moralist, anti-drug campaigners – quite the opposite, actually. A few years ago a major police operation imprisoned some of the owners for allegedly laundering drug money. If drugs were legal, there would be no need for money laundering. Drug money would just pay taxes, like everything else, and all money launderers, including those using restaurants as a front to it, would stand to lose a few quid.

Not that having Capricciosa as a sole source of income would leave anyone cash-strapped; their pizza is good, pricey and people keep coming back for more so often (a more malicious person could see a link here) that they must make quite a lot of money from it.

Their secret? Simple: the ingredients. The fine white powder (wheat flour, one assumes) they use to make the pizza, the quality of the cheeses, the tomatoes, always flawless and, whatever the toppings you order, all are absolutely top notch. It’s amazingly cooked as well, in a wood-fired oven, crispy, with pretty burn marks on the crust, but not enough to make the taste bitter. In short, this is as good a pizza as you’ll find anywhere.

Service is almost surprisingly fast. If you wish to have a long conversation, enjoy a long evening out and chat for hours on end with your friends, postpone your order. Have a few of the antipasti they offer, or their amazing burrata. Once you order, your pizza will be there in less than 10 minutes, maybe 5. Staff is well trained, polite and efficient in a hurried pizzeria kind of way. It wasn’t anything they did, but the experience of ordering pizza was, to me, something like being a part of a Formula 1 pit crew. Less than 8 seconds or you lose the race. Overall, however, I have no major complaints. Service isn't sex, where speed is a bad thing. I can’t really say anything worse than “they are too quick at what they do”.

Where there is a complaint, and quite a serious one at that, is the quality of the beer. Capricciosa’s supplier, for whatever reason, is Lokal, one of the many low-end beers in Rio. It’s flat, watery and pretty tasteless. If you must drink something alcoholic, choose from their good wine list. This lack of quality beer alone would be reason enough for me to choose Bráz, right up the street, which serve some of the best Brahma draft beer in town.

But there is an even better reason to choose Bráz over Capricciosa: the price. A regular pizza for one at Capricciosa will cost you more than R$40. And that is without any drinks included. If you factor in antipasti and desserts (their petit gateau is quite good) as well, the total can easily come to R$70-R$90 per person, and that kind of money isn’t what you’d like to pay to stay less than an hour in a noisy pizza place. The pizza is great and there’s nothing wrong with the service, but restaurants are a package deal. There’s a whole lot more than just the two. All things considered, Bráz is still the better value for your money, even if the food is slightly less addictive...

Capricciosa - Rua Maria Angélica, 37, Jardim Botânico. Tel: +552125272656 (4 other branches, including Búzios)

Verdict 3.5/5 - Fantastic pizza, daylight robbery. Or daylight money laundering, who knows...

Bráz

2009-05-27T17:54:00.003-03:00

Some of the issues that are dearest to my heart are free trade and globalisation. In my view, what protectionism does is to prevent poor people from acquiring goods and services cheaply, in order to favour some politically influential group within a country. What’s more – globalisation and trade promote understanding between cultures, allow us to learn from other people’s ways, and just generally enrich our lives. They create bonds and interdependence, and, in so doing, promote peace. As Bastiat said, “when goods don’t cross borders, armies will.”

Another, possibly even better reason for supporting free trade is culinary. Try to think of how much of your diet would be unavailable to you if not for trade and integration. Belgian and Swiss chocolate is dependent on cocoa beans grown in tropical countries. Potatoes are originally Peruvian. Sugar and spice, and all things nice, had to be brought by boat for centuries to Europe from colonies all over the world.

I think, however that one of the main contributions of trade and globalisation is probably pizza. Even for the simplest recipes (say Margherita, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese on dough) at least three continents are involved. Tomatoes are originally from the American continent, basil from tropical Asia and mozzarella, Italian. The idea of eating flatbread with toppings has been around since roman times. But can you seriously imagine not having any sort of tomatoes on your pizza?

So, if not for the wonders of globalisation and free trade, we wouldn’t have pizza. And we wouldn’t have Bráz, the stylish pizzeria in Jardim Botânico. And that would be a bad thing. Bráz is the one of the best decorated restaurants in Rio. Not that it feels posh, or fancy, or exclusive. But posh and fancy and exclusive pizzerias are no fun at all. Pizzerias are supposed to be loud, informal somewhat anarchic. The sound of laughter should drown the cutlery-clanging. Bráz is perfect for that – lively, but not enough to make conversation difficult, informal, but not enough as to be inefficient.

Bráz is originally from São Paulo, and there are quite a few things Paulistas do better than Cariocas. One of them is service. At Bráz, its quality is way better than almost anywhere in Rio. It feels nice to be decently treated for a change. Something else they do better is draft beer. At Bráz it’s outstanding, creamy and cold, possibly the best in the city. Other things Paulistas are better at than Cariocas include sitting in traffic, looking pasty white and having annoying accents.

The pizza? Quite good. A bit thicker-crusted than what is usual in Rio, but with an excellent homemade bread feel and taste. Pizzas are made with good, high quality ingredients. I especially recommend caprese with buffalo mozzarella, basil, tomatoes and an excellent olive tapenade. Funghi, the mushroom and onion pizza is also excellent. Bráz, however, is not my choice for the best pizza in Rio. As I’ve said before, both Capricciosa and Alessandro&Frederico make better pizzas. But Bráz is my choice for best pizzeria. And for a very simple reason: the price.

Bráz offers all of that – good pizzas, great service, outstanding beer, fantastic ambiance, for around R$40,00 per person. It’s no wonder it’s always overflowing with people. From Thursdays to Sundays, in peak hours, expect a minimum wait of 40 minutes. Since you can order beer beneath a beautiful tree while you wait, stick around. It's worth it.

Bráz - Rua Maria Angélica, 129, Jardim Botânico. Tel: +552125350687

Verdict: 4/5 - Not the best pizza, but the best pizzeria.

Amir

2009-05-26T18:40:00.004-03:00

Jared Diamond, in “Guns, Germs and Steel”, elicits a few of the reasons that might explain why civilization first appeared in the Middle East. Most of them have to do with food.

Firstly, there is the presence of wild species of grain such as wheat and barley, both relatively high in protein and easy to cultivate. Also, the availability of animals that could be domesticated, such as pigs, sheep, goats and cattle meant that people could have a steady source of milk and meat without the demanding activity of hunting. A mild climate and abundant water just added to the happy picture.

All that meant that people could, for the first time, steadily dedicate themselves to things other than looking for food. Culture and civilization arose. The culinary arts naturally came along with all that.

To this day, Middle Eastern food retains an elegant simplicity. It is hearty, healthy, nutritious, tasty and beautiful. Eating Meze, small, varied portions, collectively served, make any dinner a lot happier. Maybe it is a primal satisfaction in really sharing our food with the people we love; maybe it’s just the human contact in touching hands while reaching for the last falafel, the fact is that this is having dinner like this is amazing for social gatherings.

If Middle Eastern food were a woman, it would be Pamela Anderson. Not the youngest and freshest, definitely not the most sophisticated, but appealing in quite an instinctive manner. Amir, in Copacabana, makes Rio’s best Pamela, of the Lebanese variety. It is a nice place in a somewhat seedy block. The décor is typical enough to set the tone, but without overdoing it. A nice option is eating on the tables outside, or the very nice veranda on the second floor.

The food is actually very good. The pastes (hummus, yoghurt and babaganoush) are excellent, especially with some of their house-made pita bread. Try the falafel, the lamb and the raw kibbeh as well. Fortunately you can have all of that in a single order – one of the combinados – which I wholeheartedly recommend. Good beer and a surprisingly interesting and cheap wine list seal the deal.

Service is quite good and the food comes quickly. Not as friendly as one would expect, but, considering recent Levantine history, I’m glad if I don’t get beat up. In a nutshell: it’s efficient and the waiters don’t hit you. What more could you want?

The best about Amir, however, is probably the price. For no more than R$70,00 (with wine) per person you can eat and drink like a sheikh and, on Fridays, also watch a belly dancing show (with LOUD music, husbands should not stare too much). You can also have some shisha, and some tasty desserts covered in rose-water syrup.

If I can have one gripe about Amir it's that it closes too early. I felt like lingering for hours, talking with my friends and having a pleasant time, so midnight was definitely too soon.

Amir - R. Ronald de Carvalho 55C, Praça do Lido, Copacabana. Tel: +55(21)22755596.

Verdict: 4/5 - The best Pamela in Rio.

Pizza Park

2009-05-13T20:25:00.004-03:00

I never did understand properly why people buy giant SUVs even if they have no intention of ever leaving the tarmac. They're a hassle to drive and park, use up way too much fuel, aren't much roomier than a regular large sedan and usually cost a lot more. I understand the occasional Range Rover for those with a secluded second home, somewhere deep in the country. I don't understand one for those that don't stray much from the city and think that visiting Itaipava is the equivalent of an extreme wilderness trip.

Another thing that bothers me is people who have siberian huskies as pets in Rio. Yes, they have beautiful blue eyes and are the cutest puppies you can find. They are also suited to a temperature that is 80°C (176ºF) lower to what you get in Rio's summer. Imagine you in a 100°C (212°F) environment. Not too comfy, I gather.

What I mean to say is that form should follow function or, at least, be harmoniously combined with it. Things should be adapted to their surroundings in a way that makes sense and is, preferrably, aesthetically pleasant.

Which neatly brings me to Pizza Park, the subject of this post. They are perfectly adapted to their surroundings at the Cobal Humaitá and to the city. There a few other locations, including Cobal Leblon, but this post is about Humaitá's, which I visited last Sunday night.

Let me get this clear. It's not the best pizza you've ever eaten. It's not even the best pizza in Rio - that would be a toss up between Capricciosa and Alessandro&Frederico. Pizza Park is, however, on a cool evening, one of the places I feel the happiest in all of Rio.

It's not that I'm a big fan of plastic tables and chairs or, for that matter, having dinner in parking lots - I'm not. And you do get all of that at Pizza Park. But you also get the full informality of the carioca, the lively, open air environment, the Cristo Redentor looking over you and a decent enough pizza to boot. It's the kind of place that you'd go to just to hang out and talk to your friends. The fact that you can have a thin and crispy pizza, filled with good quality toppings is just a plus.

Service is according to Rio's average. Average, in Rio, means quite bad by any other standards. But I've often seen worse than Pizza Park. Prices are ok - R$35,00 per person should be enough for a decent meal.

Don't forget to try the catupiry-based pizzas. It's a creamy cheese, typically Brazilian, that is quite fatty and delicious, though not at all refined. At Pizza Park they have a wide selection of pizzas with catupiry.

The restaurant at Cobal Leblon is also a great choice for football matches. During big games it might be quite hard to get a table, but it is great to hear the crowd chanting at a pizza restaurant. Probably the second best choice after going to the game itself.

In conclusion, Pizza Park is a delightful place to have a beer and a slice with friends or a significant other (no first dates or bosses, though). As informal as it gets (you can never be underdressed), with a pizza and service that's not bad. If you expect something more than that, or are at all nitpicky, you'll be sorely disappointed. Also, make sure it's not raining before you go.

Pizza Park (Cobal Humaitá - click the link for more addresses)- R. Voluntários da Pátria, 448 – Cobal Humaitá Tel: 2537-2602

Verdict: 3/5 - Very much like Rio - far from perfect, but friendly and welcoming.

Keb

2009-05-04T02:04:00.005-03:00

Kebabs have become a late-night favourite in most of Europe. They are filling, quick, cheap and everywhere. They are by far the best post-binge choice, especially when compared to those available in the days before mass migration. Fish and chips? Currywurst? Pizza? Fuggedaboutit. The eastern Mediterranean's gift to the world's drunken youths are kebabs.

Keb, right away, looks antithetical to a typical kebab stand. It's not a stand, it's got seats, and it's green and clean, and cool, and there's a loo with no corners. There's no visible skewer, no one speaking greek, turkish or arabic, no one in dirty overalls, no grease on the floor, no kebab smell, and no kebabs. And that is exactly the problem with it. You cannot have an antithesis without a thesis.

There's a common expression in Brazil: "botar o carro na frente dos bois". Literally, to put the cart in front of the ox. It means that sometimes you are way too excited or so much in a hurry to do something that you screw up the order of some essential steps. That's what Keb does.

The thing is that, as of yet, there is no kebab tradition in Rio. Rio's after-hours snacks are typically juice bars, hot-dog stands or sandwich places. A kebab is practically unheard of. And you can't really build upon a tradition that just isn't there. You can't sell the concept of the "new" upscale kebab-inspired snack until you can compare it to the real, greasy, delicious kebab.

Keb, however, wants to escape that noble heritage. It wants to be a trendy place where cool people hang out, instead of what it should be: a cheap place where everyone, hipsters, nerds, tourists, the jet-set and the hoi polloi, fill up their empty stomachs after a fun night out.

Now, don't get me wrong. The food at Keb is not bad. Sandwiches there are tasty, even if the bread isn't quite right, and the lamb feels more like it's cooked than properly roasted. Sauces aren't right either, varying from the weird (milk curd and wasabi) to the marketing-oriented ("keb special", remarkably alike to what you'd have at the Outback). But there's just something about putting meat and vegetables inside fermented and cooked wheat flour that makes it almost impossible to dislike.

Service is quite good, however impatient and tired you may be, your food comes quickly and (too) well presented, neatly wrapped in a special container-plate. It is open until 5am on Thursdays to Saturdays, and until 2am on the other days. Keb is extremely well located. Right in the middle of Leblon's hottest spot and busiest late-night hangout, next door to a Koni store.

Perhaps, Keb's biggest let-down is in its price. R$15,00 for a nightcap and a rather small fake döner is way too much. One of the reasons I love real kebabs so much is that you get a huge meal, something big enough to spare you a hangover, for whatever spare change you may have in your pocket. 2 or 3 euros, something like that. More than that: at Keb they charge the customary 10% service fee on top of the R$15,00. It's not very much, but to pay a waiter a tip for a kebab is something that sounds quite ludicrous.

Maybe in 10 or 20 years, when the city is overrun with Lebanese and Turkish stores at every corner selling the traditional kebab for a pittance, something like Keb, an attempt to make it fancy and sterile, will make sense. Until that day comes, it most definitely doesn't.

Keb - Av. Ataulfo de Paiva 1.174, Leblon. Tel: +5521 25128360

Verdict: 2/5 - Lacks kebabs.

Deusimar Sushi

2009-04-27T16:49:00.002-03:00

Some might think I should change this blog's name to "Eating out in Leblon", given the number of reviews of restaurants of this rather small part of town. I do have a confession to make: I love this neighbourhood. The mix of quiet streets and 24-hour buzz delights me. I find it wonderful how many different choices in restaurants, bars and shops you get in what is a relatively small part of the city. And nowhere else in Rio do you find the people you see at Leblon. If "The Girl from Ipanema" was written today, she would probably have moved to Leblon. So it's no surprise that this is a review of another restaurant in Leblon, and a good one at that.

Deusimar Sushi is a small place on a nice street in Leblon. Just off the Dias Ferreira street, one of Rio's main gastronomic hotspots, Deusimar is a calmer place to eat than the competition. There's the added bonus of being able to eat outside, on a beautiful tree-lined street of Leblon.

Deusimar like an ageing grandmother, sticks to tradition and does it well. Just like your granny will cringe at your old nirvana cd's and outright refuse to listen to U2 in family gatherings ("Sinatra is so much nicer!"), Deusimar will have none of that foie-gras, or truffle oil on his sushi. It is, however, extremely fresh. Though it is not as creative or varied, as, say, Sushi Leblon's, the salmon and tuna were just as good.

Service is friendly and quick as is fitting for a little, unpretentious, neighbourhood sushi restaurant.

The best thing about Deusimar Sushi, is, however, probably the price. For R$50 per person or so you can have sushi and a beer. And enjoy the atmosphere of Leblon, which makes it a bargain.

Deusimar Sushi - R. General Urquiza, 188, Loja B, Leblon. Tel +5521 22392876
Verdict: 4/5 - Simple, inexpensive, good and in Leblon.

O Talho Capixaba

2009-04-18T12:43:00.002-03:00

Right in the heart of Leblon, in Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva, the "Talho" has been around for as long as I can remember. Much longer, in fact. They've been serving their customers since 1958, and doing it well.

It didn't always look as good as it does now. It was once a plain and simple butcher's, selling meat to local Leblon inhabitants. The friendly store around the corner. Nothing to remind you of the always full, very tight and cramped deli/bakery selling all kinds of wonderful food you see today. This is a place you can find some wonderful "pata negra" ham, and arguably the best bread in Rio to go along with it. It is still a butcher's, and all sorts of different cuts of meat can be found, from boar to ostrich, and some very good lamb. Also a great solution for parties, since they make the most fantastic mini-sandwiches.

But this blog is not about delis or supermarkets. This is not where you come to for tips of where to buy meat (though I heartily recommend Zona Sul supermarkets for day-to-day beef, and Antenor e Filhos for your more exotic fare). It's about eating out. And the Talho Capixaba is a great place to do that.

Maybe it's a matter of having the right incentives, since they charge by the kilo, and not by the sandwich. Maybe it's because they sell so much, and everything is always fresh. Whatever the reason, the sandwiches there are heavenly.Absolutely no skimping on fillings. Whatever you order (you can choose from a very wide range of breads and fillings) to be in the wonderful bread they have will be there in spades. And the quality of the ingredients is just amazing. I would go for one of the more "rustic" breads they have instead of the croissant or plain white. Crisp on the outside, soft with a strong taste within. Just incredible.

Service wasn't especially good, but nothing to complain about. Only difficulty can be finding a table at the busiest hours.

It's pricey for a sandwich place, but fair. 25 reais will buy you a sandwich big enough for you to want to skip dinner.

But the best thing about the Talho Capixaba isn't the bread, or the sandwiches, or the fact that you can take tasty things home and make your own food there. It's where it's at. In the late afternoon, right on the sidewalk, amidst the bustle of pretty girls on their way to the shopping mall, college kids concerned about papers to hand in, young professionals hurrying home after a busy day and rich madams walking their yorkshires, Talho's tables are probably the best place to be in Rio, see its people and understand what Leblon is all about.

Talho Capixaba - Av. Ataulfo de Paiva, 1022, Leblon. +552125128760
Verdict: 4.5/5 - Best place to have a snack in Leblon. And that means quite a lot.

Pavelka

2009-03-24T16:41:00.003-03:00

Pavelka claims to be a German restaurant. It's not really German at all, or a proper restaurant, but don't let that stop you from enjoying the wonderful croquettes.

I walked in expecting to eat some leberkäse, or even just sausages and sauerkraut. I couldn't find it on the menu. Instead, I had a sausage sandwich (also known as a hot dog) and some croquettes. The hot dog was very good and the sausage surprisingly honest. Nothing like the usual fare you get from street vendors here in Rio, in which sausages taste like cardboard, and so people cover the hot dog with everything from peas to corn to parmesan cheese, also including eggs and potato chips, probably to mask the taste. No. This hot dog can be eaten and enjoyed just as it is, though I do recommend adding a bit of their good dark mustard.

Croquettes, are phallic-looking, delicious, fried, meat or chicken rolls. They're nothing like the German variety primarily made of potatoes. And that's a good thing, because, quite unlike their german counterparts they're tasty. And probably one of the best things you can have along with beer, ever. And of all the croquettes, Pavelka's is the best. To top it off, at Pavelka they serve the very good and hard-to-find Imperial draft beer. Give it a try.

The place is very small, but you can get a table on the sidewalk. Which, in a tree-lined street in Leblon is not bad at all (though the place is a tad too close to Ataulfo de Paiva, Leblon's busiest street). It is also a Deli, so decoration includes a fridge up against the wall and some shelves.

I'm convinced the waiters work part-time as magicians. They had the amazing ability to disappear, for minutes at a time, even in such a small place. Overall, service was not that bad, but I remember a prior visit, as soon as it opened, some years ago, as the absolute worst service I've ever seen in Rio.

Prices are ok. R$25,00 should buy you a few croquettes, a couple of beers and a hot dog.

All in all, a nice, unpretentious, place to have a beer and a snack.

Pavelka - Rua João Lira, 97B, Leblon. Tel: +552122941745
Verdict 3/5: A very nice place for a snack and beer. And not much else.

Sushi Leblon

2009-03-22T13:37:00.005-03:00

If you judge it by the number of actors, singers and famous folk in general, you may think you're at an award ceremony of some kind. An award ceremony with fantastic sushi.

Sushi Leblon is the place in Rio to see and be seen. All the beautiful people go to this small, even rather cramped, sometimes noisy restaurant. And I mean all of them. At once. Which means you will, on Fridays and Saturdays, have to wait at least an hour to be seated. At least the wait seemed fair, and no singer/model/actress was granted access immediately. They had to wait in the "lobby"(outside!, but you can order some very good caipirinhas and, on occasion, they'll bring you some treats while you're standing on the sidewalk) just like everyone else. Which is nice.

I'll let you in on a little secret as well. If you're in a small party, ask for a seat at the bar. Tell Luís, the sushiman, to bring you whatever he thinks is best. Forget the menu, just trust him. Apart from bringing you delicious food and knowing exactly what is best that day, it's a joy to watch an expert like him at his craft.

The sushi is truly great, on par with the very best in the world. Every single piece is done with care, much unlike cheap rodízio places, and the temperature, freshness and quality and cut of the fish are just awesome. Some of the highlights of the night were the salmon sushi with shaved lemon peel, the salmon sushi with caviar and orange sauce and, last but definitely not least, the quail's egg sushi with truffle oil. Also, don't miss the agulhão (marlin) sashimi either, but it is quite difficult to find.

Service standard varies and, this time, was shoddy to say the least. It took four tries to order my sake, which, in such an upscale and expensive restaurant like this is terrible. The equivalent, in a bar, would be something like having your beer spilt on your head by the waiter, and as an apology, receiving a kick in the stomach. It did help that I was sitting at the bar and was only dependent on the waiting staff for drinks, not food. The waiters didn't make up for it with smiles either. I mean, I understand (I've worked in a restaurant) how tiring it is and how anxious you are to go home at 1:30 am. But don't let it show to your customers. They have nothing to do with it.

Sushi Leblon is not a cheap place to eat, but, considering the star-studded environment and the glamour that surrounds the place you'd expect to pay a bit more. For R$140,00 per person you can have the very very best in the menu, a couple of drinks, some good sake and the best sushi in town. Plus, you get to sit next to that girl that was in that novela whose name you can't really recall.

Sushi Leblon - Rua Dias Ferreira, 256, Leblon. Tel +552125127830.

Verdict 4/5: Great in what really counts. Could use some work on the little things.

Roberta Sudbrack

2009-03-12T12:12:00.003-03:00

Hands down, the best restaurant in Rio I've ever been to.

The chef and owner, Roberta Südbrack, who has worked for the former president cooking state dinners, is a culinary genius and an artist. And her genius and art are in simplicity. Don't come here expecting 60 different ingredients to a dish. But expect to have the best ___________(whatever she serves you) you've ever eaten.

From the amuse-bouches to the entrées, to the mains, to desserts, everything was fantastic. What I mean by simplicity can be illustrated by one of the entrées: a soft, whole egg yolk on toast with some spanish ham on top. Practically breakfast. But the best breakfast you've ever had. Or the pork. Just one, unadulterated cut of tender, juicy, sweet pork with a perfectly crispy skin, potatoes on the side. Absolutely delicious.

I've read an article by her saying that food is not about the cook. It's about the ingredients. A great cook is just a medium for the pumpkin, or the asparagus, or the fish to express itself. And that is one of the things that fascinates me in her cooking, this humble posture. It's well expressed in how the menu works: you don't choose anything. It's set according to what the chef thought was freshest and best that day, and that's it. Sometimes the there will be nine courses to a meal, sometimes six. What you'll eat is really up to the ingredients, to the fishermen and to her. Trust her, she knows.

If there is something in the menu you don't like, try it once more. There's a good chance you'll end up saying "wow! I didn't know I liked _________."(insert food name you currently dislike)

Wine selection is also great. The wine list is by Jonathan Nossiter, who some of you wine-lovers will remember as the director of Mondovino, a documentary that preached a return to traditional wines that reflected the terroir. Which means you will find some truly unique gems in the list, such as the Macon-Village that I had.

Ambiance is really nice as well, in a pretty house in Jardim Botânico, decorated in an elegant, clean and tasteful way. Service is top class, with knowledgeable and helpful waiters that are as unintrusive as you'd like them to be; as it should be when you pay this much.

How much, exactly? Expect to shell out a cool R$300,00 per person, with wine. Which makes this, along with being the best, one of the most expensive restaurants in Rio as well. However, if you must go to an expensive one, this is definitely the one to go to.

I've heard the restaurant serves a three course lunch as well, for much, much less, which could be a sensible alternative to dinner.

Roberta Sudbrack - Rua Lineu de Paula Machado 916, Jardim Botânico, Tel +55213874-0139
Verdict: 5/5 - Simply the best

Out of town

2009-02-22T21:00:00.002-03:00

I'll be out of Rio for the next 10 days or so, so you'll have to do without me for restaurant reviews for a little while. Why not go out and write your own?

Miam Miam

2009-02-22T20:50:00.000-03:00

Miam Miam is the place where people that don’t care about seeing and being seen come to see and be seen. This is the ultimate hipster venue in Rio. Expect cool people to be here, drinking cool cocktails (they have an excellent drinks menu and make a fantastic dry martini) and dressed either very well or very oddly, but wanting to make a statement with their clothes anyhow. Expect to be surprised by details in the décor, that looks very modern even if the furniture is from an antiquary, and cool things such as a table setting (dishes, silverware, glasses, etc.) glued to the men’s room ceiling (no info on ladies’ room, sorry!). Expect great food. And expect to wait to be seated. Quite a lot.

Two friends and I arrived with no reservations, as is unfortunately the rule for a person with as fickle a taste as I have (I can seldom tell during the afternoon what I’d like to eat for dinner), quite late in the evening, around 10:30pm. We were graciously seated for drinks and ordered some rosé sparkling wine from their good and very well-priced wine list. We were seated at a table by the time we were thinking about ordering our second bottle and had already ordered and eaten an entrée, a truly excellent, very fresh and cooked to perfection squid with thin toasted ciabatta bread and Thai jam.

The perfect squid was the best food we had at the restaurant, nothing else was as good. But nothing else was bad or even regular. Everything was at least good. I had a pork rice, which was interesting, especially for the contrast with the pineapples that came with the dish. The filet mignon was also good, medium rare, as it should be.

Service was excellent. The waitress was efficient, helpful and Paulista. Or maybe she was efficient and helpful because she was Paulista, we’ll never know. Despite the eternity it took to find us a place, once we were there everything we ordered came very quickly. All of the waiters look just as young and hip as the customers and it seems as it is a mere accident that they are serving and not eating there that day.

The price was not bad at all. Two bottles of wine, entrées and mains for everyone and a shared dessert (good, but a bit too sweet) came to R$108 per person. Considering the quality and service, and the cool factor of the place, that is actually very good value.

Miam Miam is an especially good place to take a date or a girlfriend. Actually, it’s an especially good place to take anyone, including yourself. I highly recommend it.

Miam Miam - Rua General Goes Monteiro, 34, Botafogo, Tel +55(21)22440125

Verdict: 4.5/5 – Just very cool.

Tai Tai Indochine

2009-02-18T19:33:00.003-03:00

Tai Tai Indochine is a hidden gem in the mountains of Itaipava. A little more than an hour's drive away from Rio, Itaipava is a pretty little town, full of nice little shops and some very interesting little restaurants. Tai Tai is among the best of the bunch.

Itaipava is a great place to visit for a day, especially to escape the scorching heat of Rio's summer, or to enjoy a nice bottle of wine sitting by a fireplace in winter. If you do go there, don't miss a visit to the Imperial Museum in neighbouring Petrópolis, in what was the summer palace of the Brazilian royal family. But history is not the subject of this post. Tai Tai is.

Tai Tai's style of food is south-east Asian cuisine. It is in a quaint little house with soft lighting in a secluded street. You won't stumble upon it if you're not actively looking for it. The atmosphere is intimate, with discrete decoration with oriental themes. It is a great place to take a date, but try to spend the night in one of the many beautiful pousadas (inns) in the region, since the road to Rio can be quite treacherous at night especially if it is raining.

The chef, the nice and attentive Mu Mu San is a Cambojan genius, and I hold her fully responsible for what was a delightful evening, from the excellent service to the wonderful food.

Let me start with the former. The waiter was always available yet never intrusive. Always polite and helpful, he gave good suggestions and seemed to be genuinely happy to help. He had precisely the tone one would expect at an upscale restaurant at a weekend holiday resort - formal, but not snobbish.

The food was very good. As entrées, the wontons were not too fatty at all and I loved the shrimp paste fried in a sugarcane spit. And then came the soup. The soup deserves a whole new paragraph just for itself.

Tom Kha Kai is a fantastically aromatic, delicious chicken soup, made from coconut milk, lemongrass and spices. Just the smell was enough to leave me inebriated and I could not hold back a delighted groan as I tasted it. The balance of flavours, sweet, salty, tart and spicy, all very harmoniously combined, was amazing.

The only flaw of the evening cam with the main course. The curry duck was slightly overcooked and a bit stiffer than it should be, but tasty nonetheless. Dessert, a banana crêpe with orange and ginger sauce was good, but not especially noteworthy.

What was quite remarkable however, was the tea menu (that comes along with quite a good wine list), with a very wide selection of what seemed to be some very good teas. I had a vanilla-and-something from Tibet and it was much better than the usual Twinings teas I am used to.

The price was very reasonable for the quality. Including the relatively inexpensive wine, we spent just under R$100 per person.

Also, in a prior visit, I had the Peking duck, which must be ordered 24 hours in advance. It's definitely worth the effort of calling. Just as Tai Tai is worth the drive.

Tai Tai Indochine - Rua das Casuarinas, 70, Itaipava
Verdict: 4.5/5 - Lovely.

Outback Steakhouse

2009-02-17T00:09:00.003-03:00

Dining at the Outback is like having sex with a prostitute: things are technically brilliant and the whole experience should be overall very enjoyable and professional, but you won't find much to your liking if it's love you're looking for. Since portions are large enough to share for two, the prostitute isn't even that expensive. Expect to pay around R$50 per person, sharing an entrée, a main course and a dessert.

The place is as tacky as an American take on Australian "family dining" in Brazil can be. The restaurant is decorated with a Crocodile Dundee-esque style, and from the menus to the bathroom door signs ("blokes" and "sheilas") everything looks quite ridiculous, frankly.

The food is consistently good. The beef is high-quality, tender, tasty, and, albeit a bit overseasoned, cooked to perfection (in my case, AKA medium-rare). The pork ribs in barbecue sauce I had were succulent, but also tasting more of the sauce than of the pork. The bread is also worth mentioning. It is always fresh out of the oven, extremely soft and smelling of honey. Best of all, it's also free. The whole fried onion is a traditional entrée at the restaurant but it is so greasy I'd skip it in favour of a salad. Desserts are your usual assortment of calories in the form of chocolate or ice cream. Beer is served very cold in an iced mug and iced tea and soft drinks have free refills.

Service is also professional. Staff are very well trained and adequately serve a restaurant which, more often than not, has a line of people standing outside. I also like the informal atmosphere and attitude the waiters have, although I do find a bit odd that they're all informal in exactly the same way.

There is, notably, one key ingredient missing from the service and all of the dishes served at Outback: passion. You won't find a new dish on the menu just because the chef decided to make something different that night. Or because his supplier brought him huge fresh prawns, or because it is avocado season, or curry is in fashion. All new additions to the menu at Outback must probably go through the marketing department first, which after extensive analyses, research and a huge number of pie-charts, will try to predict what kind of impact it will have on their profit margin.There is absolutely nothing wrong in operating a restaurant in this manner. There is also no art in it.

Great food, like art, should challenge your beliefs, shock you and delight you. It should shift paradigms and change your conceptions on things as trivial as almonds or as complex as harmony and pleasure. It should make you love more the people you're sharing it with. It should be, more than nourishment, an experience. Dining at the Outback is tasty, but it is nourishment.

So, by all means, if what you're looking for is something pleasant to your taste buds, that will fill you up for a reasonable price and not leave you annoyed with the lousy service that is all too common in this city, come to Outback. If you'd rather have sex with your girlfriend than a prostitute, cuddle afterwards, and hear a whispered "I love you" while spooning, go somewhere else.

Outback Steakhouse, Av. Afrânio de Melo Franco, 290, Shopping Leblon (and 5 other addresses throughout the city). Tel +55(21)3875-1622
Verdict: 3.5/5 - Good food, no love.

Caravelas do Visconde

2009-02-12T10:12:00.003-02:00

It's cheap to eat at this Botafogo restaurant and the beer is cold enough. All the rest is absolutely terrible.

Where to start? Maybe with the sausages that had the consistency (and taste) of a shoe. Or with the farofa, dry as sand. I could also mention the greasy rice or the bad potato chips. The real star of the show, however, was the picanha (rump cover), which can better be described with one word: evil. It was very tough, enough to put up a fight with your silverware and to make your jaw tired with so much chewing. Not especially tasty, either.

The place is old and decrepit and with not even a fraction of the charm of the traditional, old and decrepit place next door, Aurora. Caravelas do Visconde is in need of renovation and it shows.

Service doesn't make up for it either, the waiter seemed to be annoyed by our presence most of the time. I guess that is one of the reasons that no more than three tables were occupied.

You may say that 25 reais per person is a reasonable price to pay for a steak lunch. At this restaurant, however, whatever they charge is too much. I would be reluctant to eat there again if I got paid to. Why anyone would willingly go to Caravelas do Visconde is beyond me.

Caravelas do Visconde - Rua Visconde de Caravelas, 136, Botafogo Tel +55(21)22663128
Verdict: 1/5 - Stay well away.

MiniMok Ipanema

2009-02-11T13:08:00.007-02:00

I headed out last evening to Minimok not expecting to be surprised. I was right.

I was out with friends and we all ordered the rodízio, the all-you-can-eat style of serving that is way too common in Brazil. Rodízio is not a very intelligent style of ordering food, unless you're a hungry teenager. It basically means you will eat more than you should and the quality of the food is lower than it should be. And, confirming the rule, that was exactly what happened at MiniMok.

Apart from the very fresh, badly cut salmon, the rest of the sushi and sashimi were absolutely unremarkable, and the tuna was even a bit stringy. They appeared to have been made by a 4 year-old wielding a blunt knife, that thought it would be fun to try to make the sashimi as thin as possible. Spring rolls were good enough, and the temakis still have a long way to go before catching up with Koni's, which have become a kind of standard for handrolls in the city.

Service was bad. Not that it took too long, but it was definitely impolite and unwilling to help. When we ordered a temaki without rice (yes, we are trying to lose weight), despite the fact that it had been done on a previous visit to the restaurant, we got the reply that it was impossible, and that the other waiter had been told off for ordering it in the past. Honestly, I don't want to know I've been responsible for someone receiving a talking-to from their manager. Note to restaurants: please keep your internal squabbles to yourselves.

The restaurant is a nice place to be in, albeit a bit small, and was full of good-looking people, but never felt crowded. It wasn't exactly cheap either, and dinner + 2 soft drinks was 60 reais.

I've read reviews raving about the creativity of MiniMok's food. Whatever it was, it wasn't included in the rodízio. Apart from a crunchy hot roll, I saw nothing new. Maybe I should order off the menu next time. Problem is, I seriously doubt there will be a next time.

MiniMok Ipanema (there are also restaurants in Leblon and Barra) - R. Vinícius de Morais, 121, lj.C, Ipanema Tel +55(21)25237026
Verdict: 2/5 - Not much worse than most of the other rodízio sushi places. Still very bad.

Garcia&Rodrigues - Breakfast

2009-02-10T12:21:00.005-02:00

Having breakfast at Garcia&Rodrigues is a pleasant experience but something feels wrong.

Whatever it is, it's definitely not the bread, it's wonderful. In a city which should be as infamous for the quality of its bread as it is for its slums, that is a remarkable achievement. A nearby bakery/butcher's/deli called "Talho Capixaba" (soon to be reviewed here) is still ahead by a nose in bread quality, but Garcia&Rodrigues can proudly wear the silver medal in what has been a hotly contested dispute. The pain-au-chocolat is worth a special mention: it was crumbly, buttery and rich, and would not feel out of place in a boulangerie in Paris.

Along with the bread came butter, honey and jam, an unremarkable bowl of yoghurt with granola and a ripe, pretty and sweet papaya.

The location isn't wrong either. Inside the décor is in good taste and it's got a nice façade in one of the most charming blocks in the city, at the heart of Leblon, the perfect place to stroll on a summer morning after a nice breakfast. Garcia&Rodrigues is also a great place for a business breakfast, and the place is often full (but not crowded) of executive types discussing future projects.

It is also not the service, which, albeit a bit too formal for breakfasts, was adequate. Or maybe I'm just grumpy and needy in the mornings and expect more smiles and caring than in the afternoon. In conclusion: it was ok and I may need therapy.

Not the cappuccino either. It wasn't otherwordly, but it was foamy, chocolatey, cinnamony and all the things ending in -y that a cappuccino should be. Orange juice was freshly squeezed and sweet.

Even the price, if you order the breakfast for one and share it for two (it's just enough), is not unreasonable. Around 20 reais per person.

What then, you may ask, could possibly be wrong with the place? Food, service, location, coffee, price, all good. It's just that it doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. I'm not sure if I visited a bakery, a fancy restaurant, a café, a kitchen utensils store, a wine store or a pâtisserie. So it's got the charm and character of none of these places.

And character is exactly what I want for breakfast. I don't need a fancy meal with bread that's got nuts in it, although it's nice to have. I want a nice place to start my day, with a pretty waitress with an honest smile, and a cashier that will look downtrodden whenever his football team loses. Somewhere I won't feel out of place opening a newspaper at the table. I'd rather order over-the-counter and have a ham and cheese sandwich, made with the slab of play-doh they call bread at the Rio-Lisboa bakery, a couple of blocks away. Just because it feels more alive. It feels natural and at ease with itself, not bland and pasteurized.

Garcia&Rodrigues is the geeky teenager trying too hard to act cool. When he grows up he'll know that he should have done the things he actually liked, not what everyone else thought he should like to do. And I should know, I was one those. Lets hope it grows up too.

Garcia&Rodrigues - Breakfast - Av. Ataulfo de Paiva, 1251 - Leblon. Tel +55(21)32064100
Verdict: 3/5 - Come for the bread, stay for the coffee, leave to stop feeling dead inside.

Braseiro da Gávea

2009-02-09T10:00:00.008-02:00

The real thing.

If you're a tourist, people may have taken you to churrascarias, or served you a moqueca or a feijoada and told you that it is typical Brazilian cuisine. And it is. In the same way that haggis is typically Scottish, sashimi is typically Japanese and foie gras typically French. It is just not something you eat every day, and actually eating it is an event. Cariocas won't usually call each other up and say "hey, how about a moqueca tonight? ". No. They'll say "hey, wanna go to the Braseiro?".

This is a place that understands the language of Rio and translates it into food and service. The setting, in the quiet neighborhood of Gávea (quite close to the botanical gardens); the informal, open ambiance with no luxuries or air-conditioning (can get hot in the summer); and the patrons of all ages, ranging from the 16 year-olds learning to enjoy a beer, fake IDs on hand, to the intellectuals and artists that have been going there for decades are all a view into what it is truly like to be a Carioca. It is also prime location for flirting and meeting people and waiters are more than used to sending notes handwritten on napkins to pretty girls sitting a few tables away.

It is not unusual to be at Braseiro just for the beer and the company. Which is kind of a waste, because the food is not bad at all. Quite the opposite: you'll be served an amazingly straightforward, good (sometimes great), honest, meal. The word Braseiro means, roughly translated, place of the embers, and true enough to the name, all the meat, sausages and chicken are cooked over live charcoal embers.

Do not, and I cannot stress this enough, do not leave without trying one of the lingüiças, the forte of the house. They are pork sausages, wonderfully crisp on the outside and fatty on the inside and a favourite in Brazilian churrascos. The picanha (rump cover), a popular cut of beef, is also excellent, and do also order a galeto as an entrée. The galeto is a young chicken, roasted whole, that has a fantastic, soft and crispy (yes, both) consistency, and a slightly smokey flavour. Wonderful. Side dishes are good as well. The broccoli rice did have a tad too much garlic in it, but the banana and egg farofa was artfully made. Go for the ice-cold draft beer. No good will come off the wine list.

Service is not stellar but not disappointing either. The place can get quite full, especially at night on mondays, thursdays and sundays, since the region of the Baixo Gávea is somewhat of a gathering place for middle and upper-class teenagers and twenty-somethings, so if you'd like to eat at one of these nights, be sure to arrive early (between 6 and 7pm should be fine). It is open until 1pm (3pm on Fridays and Satrudays) and the staff will kindly let you know when it's time to leave by scrubbing the floor next to you.

To top it off, prices are quite reasonable and a satisfying meal can come for as little as R$30,00 per person.

Braseiro da Gávea - Praça Santos Dumont, 116, Gávea - Tel +55(21) 2239-7494
Verdict - 4/5 - Rio in a restaurant.

Mud Bug Sports Bar

2009-02-06T12:10:00.005-02:00

Sick and tired of drinking caipirinhas at typically brazilian bars at Lapa? Can't stand any more botecos? Can't even think of drinking another glass of Brahma draft beer? Missing the taste of a bar from back home? Well, come to Mud Bug, a bar brand with two addresses in Copacabana.

The Mud Bug is your run-of-the-mill international sports bar. TV's everywhere playing reruns of sports competitions past (they have live games too!), good-looking twenty-somethings from all over the world mingling and laughing, beer to be drunk and fun to be had. Lots of bonus points for the vast beer selection, including my beloved (and somewhat hard to find) Old Speckled Hen.

Music is pretty good and mixed, loud enough to hear but not to get in the way of conversation, and the live band playing brazilian hits was only rarely annoying. Food is exactly what you'd expect. That means chicken wings and other tasty fried stuff with more calories in it than an oil tanker. Service was like having an old friend that lives in another city: you very rarely see him, but when you do it's friendly, warm and fun. Prices are average, and you will spend however much you drink. Beers start at around R$5,00.

So, a nice place to have fun, to meet new people and to talk to friends over beer. Just like very many of the places just like it you'll find all around the world.

Mud Bug Sports Bar - R. Paula Freitas, 55A (smaller one) +55(21)22356847, or Rua Rodolfo Dantas, 16 (larger one) +55(21)2543-5052 - both in Copacabana
Verdict: 3.5/5 - Exactly what you'd expect from a Sports Bar. Extra half-a-point for the beer selection.

Koni Store

2009-02-05T17:48:00.007-02:00

The trendy and hip, bright orange Koni Stores are practically becoming a Rio de Janeiro landmark. In no more than a couple of years, the franchise has expanded tremendously and is now present in 13 locations around the city. The success is well deserved. Koni offers a short but sufficient selection of well-priced, expertly made, very fresh temakis (something like a japanese rice and fish roll in a nori cone).

Usually full of college students and young professionals, Koni restaurants are a great place to have a quick, healthy and satisfying snack for a very acceptable price. Service is also very fast and efficient, and you can usually expect to have your food prepared and served within a couple of minutes. Some of the stores remain open until 6am on weekends, so it is also a nice place to have a bite to eat and a nightcap after a night out. Two temakis and a beverage will cost you around R$25,00

Stick to the traditional salmon and tuna flavours or try one of their own creations (Hot Philadelphia and Poke are personal favourites), you will not be disappointed.

There are a few downsides worth mentioning. The more popular Koni stores in peak hours are usually overflowing with people, and it can be quite hard to get a place to sit. And when you finally do find somewhere to sit down, you feel like getting up right away. The stools are uncomfortable, tables are tiny and the restaurant is usually a small, noisy, crowded place. It is just as well that you won't want to stay for more than 15 minutes since the bright orange lighting will almost certainly make you blind if you do.

All in all, very highly recommended for a snack.

Koni Store - Many addresses all over the city
Verdict: 4/5 - Good quality, service and price. Just don't stay too long.

La Cigale - Lunch

2009-02-04T16:04:00.008-02:00

I would love to say I ate bistro food at its finest at La Cigale. That it lived up to the nice first impression, with its pretentious french name and tiny chairs and tables, matching the wonderful neighbourhood of Leblon. That it was a sensible mix between a quick lunch in the Brazilian pay-per-kilo self-service style restaurant and the high quality, fresh ingredients and careful preparation you would get in a Parisian bistro. It wasn't.

It is simply an overpriced place to have lunch. It is not bad. Apart from the seared tuna, which was definitely not fresh and also a bit overcooked, everything was of acceptable quality. Nothing was really good, though.

Salad selection was absolutely unremarkable and choices in the hot dish department were seriously lacking. Service was friendly and quick but definitely not enough to justify the R$58,00 per kilo that they charge. Expect to pay around R$40,00 per person for lunch.

I hear they are better at dinner when you have a proper menu and table service, but for lunch they have apparently decided to make some easy money catering to the time-starved executive working in the few blocks around the restaurant. The executive probably knows he would be better off with a juice and sandwich from "BB lanches", a stone's throw away, but his wife gets worried if he doesn't have a proper lunch. So he decides to pay a lot of money so he can have bad tuna and bland couscous to make his wife happy.

I will return for dinner in the future, and hope to have better news for you.

Lunch at La Cigale - Rua Aristides Espínola, 88C, Leblon, +55(21)2279-4473
Verdict: 2/5 - You will be better off with a juice and sandwich