Mocotó - celebrating food from Brazil's Northeast

São Paulo is known for its amazing restaurant scene. Outstanding sushi bars, authentic lebanese restaurants, quaint French bistros, Portuguese bakeries and the very Brazilian churrascarias. But Brazilian food is more than meat on skewers.

Last night, we had dinner at a place that has been getting tremendous amount of buzz: Mocotó - a restaurant specialized in food from Brazil's Northeast and also a cachaçaria (bar specialized in Brazil's famous sugarcane spirit). The experience blew me away. Located in the Vila Medeiros - neighborhood - rather far from where you would expect to find a great restaurant. It took us about 35 minutes to get there but it was certainly worth the drive. Absolutely fantastic! Rodrigo Oliveira added some culinary magic to his father's already famous restaurant. Two generations coming together to celebrate the flavors, aromas, textures and drinks from one of the most culturally-diverse regions of Brazil.

I found this video on YouTube which gives you a little feel for this place. This is a must-go place when you come to São Paulo.

A journey through the world of flavors...

This week I've been on a fascinating flavor exploratory journey. I've had great meetings at IFF and Givaudan - flavor house partners - discussing consumer trends, the explosion of street & ethnic food, and going through some wonderful tasting sessions. Yum.

This beautifully-produced video, from STA Travel Australia (directed by Rick Mereki in collaboration with Andrew Lees and Tim White) captures the spirit of what my week has been like...

It is wonderful to work in food marketing!

Brazil's little piece of chocolate heaven

France has truffles... Brazil has the brigadeiro.... a little chocolate sin served at birthday parties and as a dessert around the country. Nobody knows brigadeiros like Juliana Motter, founder of Maria Brigadeiro. Until recently, she would only take reservations by phone but now Juliana opened a storefront in one of São Paulo's cool neighborhoods. We went there last night to buy a gift box.

If you're ever in São Paulo and you get a craving for chocolate... here's the address:

Rua Capote Valente, 68

Making scents of aromas found in a glass of wine

Last Sunday, my wife and I were invited to a barbecue at a friend's apartment overlooking São Paulo.  After a succulent picanha (one of Brazil's classic prime cuts) and wonderful wine, our host brought out a mysterious box and said we were going to play a game.  The box, contained the key aromas found in the world of wines encapsulated in little bottles.  Each person had to smell the aroma and identify what it was.  

Cinnamon, smoked bacon, peppermint, caramel, lychee, lavender, musk....  the game went on.  It was a fabulous experience having to concentrate and access one's memory bank and what a good feeling when you got it right.  I was surprised that our 8 and almost 11-year-old daughters, got a few answers right.  I guess keeping my wife company in the kitchen and learning and experimenting with a few recipes is paying off.

For anyone involved in product innovation, making scents of the different aromas found in a glass of wine is a very fun and educational experience.

This is our host Carlos Campos during our wine game.

Move over coffee... it's Tea Time in São Paulo

Yesterday, I took my Family to have lunch at Ping Pong, the London-based restuarant group, which just opened its first international operation here in São Paulo. Wonderful dim sums, friendly staff, cub-perfect lounge music and an urban cool project by Swiss Architect David Marquardt from MACH Architektur.

One of the highlights is a great array of teas offered at Ping Pong. In fact, in a country where coffee has cult status, it's amazing to see how teas are becoming the thing. I guess it all started with Carla Sauressig's Loja do Chá carrying over 250 types of tea - a franchisee of Germany's Tee Gschwendner - with two stores in São Paulo and one in Brasília. Now, some of the food emporiums have sections dedicated to teas from around the world.

Ping Pong, which is also serving the famous flowering teas, will certainly cater to a growing tribe of tea-lovers in a city dominated by café culture.

Cebiche could just be the new sushi

In the gourmet world, Peru is a rising star.  From the Peruvian influence of NOBU to the amazing work of celebrity chef Gaston Acurio, this is a cuisine that is making headwaves all over the globe.  The good news for me, is that Sao Paulo now has a newcomer to its vibrant restaurant scene and it's called: La Mar Cebicheria Peruana.    

My wife and I were invited to its soft opening and wow....  the cebiche is insane!

For those who still have doubts that cebiche is the new sushi, this place is definetely worth a visit.