Maní
Fine dining restaurant · Pinheiros District ·
Chef Helena Rizzo's contemporary Brazilian dishes shine
Chef Helena Rizzo's contemporary Brazilian dishes shine
"For nearly two decades, widely-respected chef Helena Rizzo has served up her stunning, Mediterranean-influenced take on Brazilian food in the upmarket Jardins neighborhood. The tasting menu will set you back around $120, but ordering a la carte will do just fine. Signature dishes include cashew ceviche and a rich squid fideuá, like a paella with tiny Spanish pasta instead of rice. Don’t miss the huge polvilho, a homemade version of one of Brazil’s favorite salty snacks made with fermented tapioca flour." - tome morrissy swan
"Occupying a small house in the heart of the Jardim Paulistano district, Maní comes as something of a surprise with its three inter-connecting rooms featuring a contemporary Mediterranean decor of different white tones and simple furniture. Here, renowned chef Helena Rizzo, who is currently working as part of a successful collaboration with Belgian counterpart Willem Vandeven, aims to offer guests a pleasurable gastronomic experience based around consistency. To do this, she focuses on Brazilian ingredients (the restaurant boasts that 90% of these are organic) which are transformed through cutting-edge techniques and creativity. The choice here is extensive, although for a truly unique experience we recommend the tasting menu, available in a version with three dishes (starter, main course and dessert) or a special menu prepared by the chefs. One of the standout dishes is the refreshing “Atlantic forest salad”, which combines a passion fruit vinaigrette with a charcoal-infused oil. We suggest booking ahead to avoid waiting for a table." - Michelin Inspector
"For nearly two decades, widely-respected chef Helena Rizzo has served up her stunning, Mediterranean-influenced take on Brazilian food in the upmarket Jardins neighborhood. The tasting menu will set you back around $120, but ordering à la carte will do just fine. Signature dishes include cashew ceviche and a rich squid fideuá, like a paella with tiny Spanish pasta instead of rice. Don’t miss the huge polvilho, a homemade version of one of Brazil’s favorite salty snacks made with fermented tapioca flour." - Tomé Morrissy-Swan
"MasterChef host and award-winning chef Helena Rizzo runs the kitchen at this contemporary Brazilian restaurant. With decades of experience in the São Paulo dining scene, Rizzo delivers a thoughtful tasting menu of exciting dishes like creamy mullet bottarga with corn cream, pancetta, and katsuobushi, or goat slowly roasted overnight in turmeric leaves and served in a pool of luscious broth and marinated shiitake." - Rafael Tonon
"Rank: #23 "Named both Latin America’s and The World’s Best Female Chef in 2014, Helena Rizzo is one of Brazil’s best-known chefs, as well as a mentor on culinary TV show The Taste Brasil. In 2015 she brought out a cookbook, Maní, with her former partner and fellow chef Daniel Redondo, featuring some of the restaurant's most popular recipes, as well as forewords written by Joan Roca and Alex Atala. São Paulo natives, or paulistas, and gastro-tourists flock here to try exquisite dishes with a Brazilian twist."
