I had spotted that place when walking through the streets in Santa Teresa earlier, and noted that it had a big choice of vegetarian dishes. Salads, soups, vegetables….

So I strolled back Rua Almirante Alexandrino to Espírito Santa, leaving the Cozinha alemã on the sides, and sat down in this cosy, dark place.

First thing: a suco de maracujá that was delicious. It took me some time to chose from all the options. I’m not used to that as a vegetarian, especially in countries that do eat lots of fish and meat.

Brazil has been fairly easy so far, this time it was hard for all the delicious choices, from a kind of Brazilian potato soup with caramelized onions and white cheese, to tropical arugula salads and banana stews…

I opted for the Chuchu no Xinxin, a dish made of Brazilian squash and sautéed vegetables with nuts and ginger, served with rice in a hint of pesto. I also ordered some Arroz de castanha to come with it (I did not expect the rice to be included).

That was great, white rice with various shredded nuts. Delicious. The price was fair, too; I paid 63 R$, so roughly 20 €.

I want to come back. I haven’t tried their deserts yet. There’s more to see in Santa Teresa, so I just might.