The fair brought together the best restaurants in São Paulo, as ranked by Veja Magazine, to offer good food at affordable prices
If there is one thing that we, Taste, we love, is eating and drinking well. Now, imagine a single event bringing together 20 of the best restaurants in São Paulo, full of starred dishes, unforgettable gastronomic experiences and renowned chefs. Sounds like heaven, right? Right!
This event exists and is called “Eating & Drinking Champions Fair”. Essentially, Veja Magazine chooses the best restaurants in the city of Sao Paulo, awarding them with titles such as “best hamburger restaurant”, “best ice cream”, “best chef” and so on. Then bring them together in an event to offer the public the chance to taste these delicious dishes at a much more affordable price.
The fair took place on 19 and 22 October this year, at Espaço Arca, in Vila Leopoldina. And obviously Degusta couldn’t stay out of it. I’ll tell you about my experience at the event and talk more about the food I was able to try.
Goshawk
Of the 20 bars and restaurants available on site, I only had to choose a few, which was a torment, because unfortunately the space in my belly is limited.
I started with Astor, voted by the public vote as the best bar-restaurant of 2023. I tried the Shrimp Dog (R$40), prepared with artisanal prawn sausage, prawns, aioli and radish with waffle potatoes. It was basically a shrimp hot dog. The bread was very crunchy and the sausage was very tasty, I liked the snack, it was very light and delicate.
In addition to this option, the restaurant also served rice cakes (R$30), steak tartare (R$45), Açaí Punch (R$35) and Negroni (R$35).
DOM/Dalva and Dito
Also present at the event was the famous and starred Chef Alex Atala with two of his restaurants: DOM and Dalva e Dito. The stand offered the following dishes: Arapaima bait with tartar sauce (R$28), fillet with Aligot (R$45) and frozen coconut cake (R$20).
I chose the fillet with aligot, which is always a big seller during the fair. And the flavor of this dish is truly impressive. The aligot melts in your mouth because it is creamy and the fillet is perfect, delicious, very juicy and full of a very well seasoned sauce.
Panini Z Deli
One of the most iconic burger restaurants in the city of São Paulo was also present during the event. Multi-awarded Food & Drink award winner in several editions, Z Deli is famous for its pastrami snacks and appetizers. However, curiously, he didn’t bring any of his pastrami dishes to the festival.
I chose the Truffle Burger (R$40), made with cheese, sautéed portobello mushrooms with white truffle mayo on brioche bun. The snack has a very strong truffle flavor and, together with the tall, red meat, becomes a heavier burger. Despite this, it was very tasty and very different from anything I had ever tasted at a burger restaurant.
Apart from that, the stand also served Classic Burger (R$35), Minetta (R$35) and Mostarda Z Deli (R$29).
Kazuo
I had to go and discover the cuisine of the “best chef of the year”. The Kazuo restaurant is managed by chef Kazuo Harada who, in addition to this award, boasts a Michelin star and several other awards for his ability to enchant the palate.
I chose the Yukhoe dish (R$40), a tuna tartare with shari, gochujang, cured nori and fish roe. Simply delicious. It brings all the delicacy of Asian cuisine with a surprising and spicy flavor. And, the best thing was that chef Kazuo himself prepared the dishes at the stand counter, spoke to the customers and put on a culinary show.
Other dishes available: Kinilaw (R$35) and Hong Kong Prawns (R$42).
Pino Co.
Voted best ice cream shop by the Comer & Beber award, Pine Co. brought some of its best flavors to the fair. I chose strawberry lemonade and cookies. The first had the flavor of strawberry and the tartness of lemon, ideal for people like me who love refreshing ice creams. The second was just the right amount of sweet, with large chunks of biscuits in the dough. I really liked the combination and the two scoops also came in a super tasty cone, which is one of my favorite parts of the ice cream. I spent R$23.
Other flavors that were successful at the event were Pistachio, Passion Fruit, Cupuaçu and Belgian Chocolate.
President
Naturally, a Masterchef judge could not be missing to end this experience in style. The best French restaurant in Sao Paulo had to be from chef Erick Jacquin, who offered on his menu Croque Monsieur (R$38), Macarons (R$20), Petit Gateau (R$35) and Boeuf Bourguignon (R$38).
I chose the chef’s famous petit gateau, which is one of his most famous dishes and I understood why. Unlike others I’ve had before, this chocolate cupcake had a lot more filling and was much creamier and tastier. The cream ice cream complemented the dessert harmoniously.
In addition to these restaurants that I visited, these were the other places that participated: Amay Patisserie, Bardega, Carrito Organic, Chef Benon, Cora, De*Primeira, Duas Terezas, Evvai, La Crosta Forneria, Per Lui, Osso, Picco, Tantin , Zena Cucina
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
