Brooklin, Morumbi & Berrini ITALIAN Vicolo Nostro Hidden amongst the gleaming corporate towers of Berrini, Vicolo Nostro is one of the few quality restaurants in the area that opens beyond lunchtime. The vast terracotta-coloured space is popular for power lunches and business dinners, but not exclusively so. Expect authentic Italian food: it won the Ospitalità Italiana seal of approval in 2011 for following the traditions of Italian cuisine to the letter. For mains, the chef’s recommendation of conger eel with a crab crust and black rice was impressive, though the cappelletti a little over-salted. It’s a touch on the pricey side, but if you’re good for it, the charm and good food make this an excellent choice for toasting that million-dollar contract. Rua Jataituba 29, Brooklin (5561 5287/ vicolonostro.com.br). Open noon-3pm, 7pm-midnight Mon-Thu; noon-3pm, 7pm1am Fri; noon-4.30pm, 7pm-1am Sat. Main courses R$39-$105; lunch R$38$56; couvert R$16.
Brás, Mooca & Tatuapé PORTUGUESE Bacalhoeiro This relaxed,
elegant restaurant in Tatuapé serves a classic of Portuguese cuisine: bachalhau (salt cod). Kick things off with the octopus starter, fried in bacon fat with coarse salt, followed by the perfectlysalted bacalhau a lagareiro – salt cod with golden onion, served with garlic slices, broccoli, green olives and baked potato. For dessert, both the sweet rice powdered with cinnamon and the delicate sericaria do Alentejo – a milk-and-egg pudding – are delicious.. Rua Azevedo Soares 1580, Tatuapé (2293 1010/bacalhoeiro.com.br). Open noon-3.30pm, 7pm-midnight TueFri; noon-1am Sat; noon-5pm Sun Main courses R$58-$98; lunch R$39; couvert R$17.
PIZZA Castelões This classic Italian
restaurant, located in one of the city’s traditional Italian neighbourhoods, was founded in 1924, and its dusty decor and antique pictures give it an authentically nostalgic feel that many newer pizzerias try and fail to copy. The Castelões pizza, with handmade sausage and mozzarella, is recommended, as is the house margherita; but no matter which one you pick, rest assured that the dough will be
light, the crust scorched and sensual, the tomato sauce packed with basil, and it’ll be topped off with cheese of impeccable quality. Rua Jairo Góis 126, Brás (3229 0542). Metrô 3, Brás. Open noon-4pm, 7pm-midnight daily. Main courses R$39-$64; couvert R$9.
Food & Drink
impressive range of dishes, Tandoor is a good choice. To try a good mix, go for the meat-based thali – a mixed platter that includes rice, samosas, lentils, raita, lamb curry and tandoori chicken – the latter clearly cooked in a genuine clay oven. Our favourite dish, though, was the perfectly spiced chicken karahi – a genuine taste of India. Our only criticisms were the over-cooked naan bread, slow service and a less-than-lively atmosphere. Not to mention the expense, with main courses costing R$32-$50. Though given the lack of competition, this is probably your best bet for a curry fix in São Paulo. Rua Doutor Rafael de Barros 408, Paraíso (3885 9470/ tandoor.com.br). Open noon-3pm, 7-11pm Mon-Fri; noon-4pm, 7pmmidnight Sat; noon-4pm, 7-10pm Sun. Main courses R$25.90-$55.90; lunch buffet R$29.90.
The South BARBECUE Fogo de Chão Brazil’s best-known barbecued meat franchise has three restaurants in São Paulo, plus branches in Brasília, Salvador, Belo Horizonte and across the USA. The owners are gaúchos, from Brazil’s South – the country’s cattle hotspot. So unlike some rodízios, Brazilian steak house restaurants, they don’t bother mucking up the menu with irrelevant sushi: just the best cuts of Brazilian meat, like picanha, fraldinha and maminha. Grab your pincers and select the bits you like the look of from the big chunks of deliciously salted flesh the waiters bring around. Note that Fogo has one of the most extensive wine lists in the city. For dessert, try the chocolate mousse with port. Avenida Santo Amaro 6824, Santo Amaro (5524 0500/fogodechao. com.br). Open noon-midnight MonSat; noon-10.30pm Sun. Fixed price R$103. Other locations Avenida dos Bandeirantes 538, Vila Olímpia (5505 0791); Avenida Moreira Guimarães 964, Moema (5056 1795); Travessa Casalbuono 120 (Shopping Center Norte), Vila Guilherme (2089 1736). SPANISH Maripili Paulistanos in search of authentic Spanish grub head straight for Maripili – a small, simple restaurant whose owner, chef and waiting staff all have Spanish roots. Try a pintxo de tortilla and follow it up with a nice cup of espresso; then close your eyes and imagine you’re in Madrid – because this potato tortilla has all the volume, texture and moisture you’d find at any good Spanish diner. Maripili also serves a very good gazpacho and rabo de toro (oxtail), cooked in red wine. Rua Alexandre Dumas 1152, Santo Amaro (5181 4422/maripili.com.br). Open noon5pm, 6-11pm Tue-Fri; noon-5pm, 7-11pm Sat; noon-4pm Sun. Main courses R$10-$34.
The North BRAZILIAN Mocotó Serving up arguably the best Brazilian food in the city, Mocotó is a foodie’s delight. Located in the anonymous mass of higgledy-piggledy houses in the far northeastern suburbs, what it takes to eat at Mocotó is time, both in getting there and waiting for a table; so come with patience and a hearty appetite. The restaurant’s young chef, Rodrigo Oliveira, creatively updates traditional North Eastern dishes such as baião de dois (black eyed peas, rice and a rennet cheese) or carne de sol – sun-cured beef – served with a whole head of garlic and baby chillies on the side. Oliveira even makes his own pork scratchings – torresmo. To finish, don’t miss the homemade icecream studded with pieces of rapadura – a solid fudge of unrefined sugarcane juice. And a shot or two of cachaça, don’t you think? – to aid digestion, of course. Avenida Nossa Senhora do Loreto 1100, Vila Medeiros (2951 3056/mocoto.com.br). Open noon-11pm Mon-Sat; noon-5pm Sun. Main courses R$15-$60; couvert R$3.90-$6.90.
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