Bon appetit!

Thursday, 9 June 2011

May and June Lunches all cooked by me!

Shiitake mushrooms Pennoni Rigate pasta 09/06/2011

Duck breast, saffron rice and Mango chutney 06/06/2011

Risotto Asparagus and King Prawns

Lamb leg spiced cassava and English asparagus 05/06/2011

Fiorelli pasta king prawns, spinach dressed with sesame oil and dark soy sauce 31/05/2011

Monday, 2 May 2011

Restaurante "Casa na Praia" Sao Paulo V. Mariana

Varanda da entrada: agitação em torno de açaís, sucos, chopes e caipirinhas

After my introduction in Portuguese, there is another post in English by my guest Jonathan Galton.

Voce nao precisa mais ir para ao Litoral Paulista para sentir-se num quiosque 'a beira- mar, basta ir ao restaurante Casa na Praia, localizado na Rua Doutor Amancio de Carvalho na Vila Mariana.

O atendimento e' otimo, os paratos sao simples e bem saborosos.

O cardapio e' bem variado (peixe, carne e vegetariano) voce pode tambem se refrescar com uma variada selecao de sucos naturais bem geladinhos! Prove os sucos de jaboticaba e uva branca.

Sugestoes leves, bem adequadas ao clima de outono de Sao Paulo

Post below by: Jonathan Galton

More than anything else, it was the lock on the lavatory door that made me imagine I was at some beach-side restaurant. It had a chunky, wooden crudeness that screamed "Copacabana" at me - idiotic, of course, as I've never set foot in Rio de Janeiro, and haven't got a clue what a genuine restaurant "na praia" (by the beach) would look like - toilets or otherwise.

By time I got to the table (wooden, of course, and shaded by raffia blinds), my companions were deep in the menu. I hesitated between a tasty-sounding beef sandwich and the more exotic monkfish with prawns and tomato sauce. It was the choice of two free accompaniments offered with the latter that decided me, and I opted for Pure de Mandioquinha (a root vegetable described unflatteringly by Wikipedia as "somewhat intermediate between carrot and celery", but in the event sweetly flavoursome) and Batatas Fritas (disappointingly redolent of McDonalds in taste and texture)

The monkfish steak itself was disconcertingly block-shaped, but thoroughly tasty, with the ever-so-slightly-leathery texture that makes it one of my favourite fishes. To wash this down, I selected something exotic from the extensive juice list: Suco de Jaboticaba. The Jaboticaba is a small fruit tree(Myrciaria cauliflora) native to Minas Gerais, the state north of Sao Paulo, and produces a dark purple fruit that grows direct from its bark. Having already tasted the last of the summer Jaboticaba (sweet, with a hint of astringency) in Fabio's family's farm, it was a pleasure to renew my acquaintance with the fruit in the form of a sweetly earthy juice that complemented my meal delightfully.

All in all: while in no way exceptional, and certainly not my best meal in Brazil (that honour goes to a mind-blowingly carnivorous experience in aChurrasqueria in the interior) it was a pleasant experience and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the place to anyone in Vila Mariana, Sao Paulo with a hankering for the seaside...

Casa na Praia. Rua Doutor Amâncio de Carvalho, 329, Vila Mariana, ☎ 5082-5002.

Restaurant Kidoairaku Liberdade area Sao Paulo

Kidoairaku is a unique experience at Liberdade (Japanese town in Sao Paulo city)

Kidoairaku means: Emotions, Feelings and it is exactly what you read on the tin.

The first feel is : You have entered a house in Japan with children playing around the tables and a old Japanese lady watching a Japanese channel as she would be in her own house. I can discribe as "Japanese Narnia adventure" the place was full of Japanese ancestry people, it was suggested to me in a conversation with a local guy. Kidoiaraku is located at the corner of Rua Sao Joaquim x Rua Galvao Bueno.

The menu is scattered over the walls and it is in Japanese (I've asked for help to a guy seated next to me).

You basically choose your favorite meat ( pork, chicken or grilled fish, marinated in misso, after a good 20 minutes wait you are served several little bowls of fried tofu, vegetables, pickled veg,salads, rice and misso soup accompanied by your choice of meat, grilled or fish served as Sashimi.

Unforgeable!

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

Koya Japanese Udon

I hate "foodies" because every restaurant that I discover soon after they invade and make my return almost impossible.Look at them queuing out side Koya!

I discover "Prince" Italian bakery long before them, see it now, impossible to go!Always full!
Well, going back to Koya...

My favorite dish was Kinoko, a delicious mushroons and walnut miso.You can have it in cold or hot broth.

There are three main types of Japanese noodle:
Udon- is thick, soft flour noodle The speciallity at Koya, it is home-made, i heard that a special flour is imported from Japan.
Which comes from the south.
Soba- is a thin, firmer buckwheat noodle, which comes from the north.
Ramen- originally from China but now a Japanese speciality, is a wheat noodle that is always served in a bowl of stock.
Try Kakuni a delicious pork belly braised in English cider, soya, brown sugar and ginger, it's a combination of tart and sweet which works very well in this dish.
There is also available a "daily specials" on a board. I've tried another winner, Monk fish cooked in its liver broth, doesn't sound very appetizing but i promise it's worth it!