When he worked at Eleven, the Portuguese restaurant of the award-winning Joachim Koerper, in Lisbon, the carioca chef Pedro Coronha was taken by surprise upon being accepted for a vacancy at the Danish Noma, address with three Michelin stars and voted the best restaurant in the world in 2021 by “The World’s 50 Best”. “I arrived in Copenhagen with no place to stay, just a backpack on my back,” he recalls, in conversation with the column.
Now back in Brazil and at age 24, Coronha has her own house in Rio de Janeiro. O Mask, opened in July, has already become one of the most popular addresses in Ipanema.
In an elegant room with an open kitchen on Joana Angélica Street, the menu includes eight starters and nine signature dishes with Mediterranean, Asian and Brazilian influences.
One of the most requested starters is the Travesseiro de Tapioca (R$ 34 a serving). Served with pepper jelly, it is a pastry with tapioca dough and Catupiry filling that the chef considers an “improved version of the tapioca dadinho”.
Three other starters that also bring a smile to their faces are the pork cheek croquettes (R$ 35), the steak tartare with a delicious smoked touch (R$ 51) and the oriental Domburi de Lagostim no Espeto (R$ 63). Delicate, the recipe combines sushi rice and crustacean tartar with togarashi pepper and a consomme of soy sauce, ginger and rice vinegar.
Prepare yourself for temptations between the main courses. The large shrimp braised with tomato rice and miso broccoli (R$ 97) and the impeccably cooked octopus tentacles with manioc puree, chorizo and aïoli (R$ 95) stood out in the visits carried out.
There are also three suggestions with beef, such as filet mignon with demi-glace sauce accompanied by an inspired truffled aligot (R$ 103).
Tip: from Monday to Friday at lunch (except holidays), the house serves a executive menu with starter, main course and dessert for R$59.
Mask
Rua Joana Angélica, 159, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro – RJ / Tel.: (21) 99997-0250 / Hours of Operation: Monday, Tuesday and Sunday, from 12:00 to 23:00, and Wednesday to Saturday, from 12:00 to 12:00
Fabio Wright
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
