be in the Rio de Janeiro, in São Paulo or other capitals, you can count on your fingers the restaurants that are exclusively dedicated to the thai cuisine. Therefore, the discovery of new addresses focused on this seductive Southeast Asian cuisine, so revered around the world, should always be celebrated.
It was during the quarantine, researching the delivery apps, that I came across a pleasant surprise — the Cam O’n Thai Food. Born in 2018 in a 21-seater space in the Midtown mall, in Barra da Tijuca, the house entered the radar of Cariocas this year, after the chef Ana Carolina Garcia participated in the reality show “Mestre do Sabor”, shown by Rede Globo.
In February, the talented chef graduated from Le Cordon Bleu decided to move the restaurant to a nice terraced room in Downtown, a well-known open-air shopping mall also located in the Barra da Tijuca.
For starters, there’s no better order than the mix to share (R$59), which brings a potpourri of the house’s starters. The suggestion includes goi cuon (rice paper roll), shrimp and shiitake guioza, wontons (fried pork bundles) and the interesting thai ceviche, with coconut milk, nam pla (fish sauce), green mango, red onion and cilantro.
A symbol of Thai cuisine, the well-served pad thai (BRL 63) stands out among the main dishes. Rice noodles are sautéed in a wok with shrimp, egg, tamarind sauce, peanuts and bean sprouts. You can also order it in a vegan version, with tofu (BRL 54).
Don’t miss the Thai-style curries either. The spiciest of them (and also one of the best) brings together shrimp dipped in an aromatic red curry garnished with carambola pickles (R$59). It comes garnished with jasmine rice, just like the other curries in the house, these with a more discreet sting — the yellow seafood curry (R$69) and the green chicken curry with baby corn, green beans and coriander (R$55).
For lunch from Tuesday to Friday, the house serves an executive menu (appetizer, plate and dessert) for R$49. Tip: only on Thursdays and Fridays, the pad woon sen is available, which brings the oriental noodles of green beans harussame pulled in wok with chicken, thai sauce and vegetables.
Cam O’n Thai Food
Shopping Downtown: Avenida das América, 500, block 9, Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro – RJ / Tel.: (21) 96966-8448 / Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 12:00 to 22:30; Sunday, from 12:00 to 16:00. Closed on Mondays.
A journalist from São Paulo who travels weekly between São Paulo and Rio, he has written about gastronomy for major vehicles, such as Veja São Paulo, O Estado de São Paulo and Época São Paulo. Over the past ten years, he has visited eighteen countries in search of good places to eat, drink, party and exercise bohemian life. He also shares his findings on the website and Instagram Taste and Fly.
Reference: CNN Brasil
