Zondar! Nerds in Food Land

Hollow out a pumpkin and fill it full of seafood broth and warm creamy cheese - undoubtedly one of the richest dishes ever to pass my lips. A spectacular looking thing; resting on your table, large soup ladle hanging off the pumpkin rim. This feast happens at a restaurant called Bate Ponto in Sambaqui, Florianopolis. We couldn’t finish the dish which may have been because of the dozen oysters and pastel de caramarao (prawn pastel) we started with.

If your’e ever in Florianopolis hunting foodie delights, get on down for a lunch by the water at Bate Ponto in Sambaqui then wash it all down with an ice cold Antartica Original. Bem geladao (really ice cold). Do it.

I negleted to note another three ‘wonderous’ pastels as voted by the people from the O Globo post:

1. Pastel de siri (Crab) from the ‘Caneco Gelado do Mário’, in Niterói
2. Pastel de camarão (prawn) from ‘Pavão Azul’, in Copacabana
3. Pastel de carne (minced beef) from ‘Osmar, in Marquês in Abranches

Enjoy!

This is a snippet (my translation) from an article on the Brazilian news site OGlobo. The only pastel I’ve tried from the list is the Pastel de carne from BB Lanches in Leblon, and it is not from this world.

1- Pastel de feijão (beans) from ‘Mineiro’, in Santa Teresa

2 - Pastel de camarão (prawns) with catupiry (cream cheese) from ‘Bar da Portuguesa’, in Ramos

3 - Pastel de camarão (prawns) from ‘Bira’, in Guaratiba (o Bira não é pé-sujo, nem é barato, mas o pastel é irresistível) Bira is not a stand up style bar and nor is it cheap but the pastel is irresistible.

4 - Pastel de presunto cru (raw ham) with gorgonzola from ‘Bar do Adão’, in Grajaú or in Botafogo

5 - Pastel de carne com ovo do BB Lanches, no Leblon (described in the post below)

6 - Pastel de camarão (prawn) from ‘Bar do Abel’, in Niterói

7 - Pastel de queijo (cheese) from Bigode, at the street market on ‘General Glicério’, in Laranjeiras (only on Saturdays)

I’ve just arrived back from Brazil… The food is addictive. A pastel de Carne from BB Lanches in Leblon, Rio is the greatest snack on earth (is it?). Hot oven baked pastry filled with perfectly cooked saucy mince beef, nestled into the meaty warmth is a small quail egg. Washing it down with an acai is the way to round off a day on the beach around posto 12 Ipanema/ Leblon. Though, the beach won’t leave punters hungry. A constant stream of prawn sellers, haloumi cheese grillers, biscoito globo pimpers, and empanada dealers bring it all to your chair on the sand.

A day at the beach in Salvador has a different vibe and was considerably cheaper than Rio. Hanging out under our barraca drinking ice cold beer eating acaraje and small fried fish for the whole day set us back 15 Reais each. Approx $10 AUD/ USD.

Brazil is famous for its coffee beans, but they don’t seem to have embraced the espresso machine as much as one would expect. Home made coffee or ‘cafezinho‘ (little coffee) is filtered through a stocking into a thermos. Its served in small quantities, usually black and always super sweet. 1 cafezinho in Rio is about 50 centavos, or .35 USD/ AUD.