02-06-2014

Rio according to Roberta Sudbrack / 2

The second part of our walk around the carioca town, in search for delicious breakfasts and African dishes

Roberta Sudbrack claims her gaucho origins, having been born in Porto Alegre, but she has perfectly settled in beautiful Rio de Janeiro, where she opened a restaurant of her own (tel. +55.21.38740139), in a small orange house on two floors in the elegant neighbourhood of the Jardim Botanico

(see part one)

Not far from Jobi there’s the padaria where everyday I go and have the classic and very simple carioca breakfast. I adore standing by the counter at Padaria Lisboa, in Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva 1030, in Leblon, +55.21.22941597, and taste a pão na chapa quente and a café coado, the best way to start my day. The second must for breakfast is confeitaria Da Casa da Tata in the residential neighbourhood Gavea.

When here, it seems as if you were in a fazenda in the typical Brazilian countryside and I like to eat bolo formigueiro, pamonha and marquise de chocolate. Another classic in town are empadas, pies made with pastry filled with chicken, heart of palm, prawns or cheese. It’s a sort of habit I grew over time, when living in town, and when I fancy one, I go to Chez Anne for the not-to-be-missed chicken ones.

Bolo Formigueiro produced by confeitaria Da Casa da Tata, one of Roberta Sudbrack’s favourite places for breakfast

The best African food in town is in the traditional neighbourhood of Botafogo where Yorubá is the temple of all that takes you back to the traditions of the Dark Continent. Here a great chef prepares, among other things, some spectacular acarajé, meatballs made with a paste of fradinho beans, fried in azeite de dendé and then filled with dried prawns, onion, coriander, tomatoes and a marvellous pimenta sauce. A true and wonderful addiction.

Keeping to the theme of great tradition, in this case the carioca one that have gradually become more solid, the best bistro in town is certainly Aconchego Carioca in Praça da Bandeira. Here I never miss the chance to taste two dishes among all: the great bolinhos de feijoada and as morangas com camarão, the latter being a pumpkin opened up and filled with prawn cream. Marvellous.

Who can resist to As morangas com camarão? It’s a pumpkin opened up and filled with prawn cream

As for grilled meat recalling also my gaucho origins, there are two restaurants I couldn’t do without. Braseiro da Gavea is a simple and young restaurant in Praça Santos Dumont where the picanha cooked on the embers is paired with a very classic farofa de ovo. Not far away from this restaurant there’s Filé de Ouro, a great classic in town, where they serve a traditional and timeless Filé a Oswaldo Aranha and also the best local bolinhos de bacalhau .

For great signature cuisine, served by one of the best restaurants in Brazil, I go to Restaurante Olympe owned by my brotherly friend Claude Troisgros. Claude, who belongs to the superb Troisgros dynasty, around thirty years ago was the first to start high quality cuisine in Brazil, introducing the use of Brazilian products in high gastronomy. He still represents the diamond point for this kind of offer in town.

2. the end