The Amazon has just become closer to São Paulo. This is because the Saulo's House a restaurant that is a reference in Pará with its cuisine that encompasses ingredients and characteristics of the Tapajós River opened its doors in the capital of São Paulo about two weeks ago.
Luckily for us, the chef Saulo Jennings brought all its gastronomic culture from Santarém (PA) directly to the heart of Vila Olímpia. Together with the prose of the chef's kitchen, it is now even easier to enjoy Amazonian and Pará delicacies such as pirarucu, tambaqui, tacacá and piracuí cake, to name a few.
With the opening in the capital of São Paulo, Casa do Saulo now has five units across the country. The Santarém headquarters remains an obligatory stop in the Alter do Chão region, but we can also try the chef's Tapajonic cuisine at units in Belém and at the Museum of Tomorrow, in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio, in fact, was the starting point for the chef to test the logistics of taking his gastronomic concept beyond Pará. After the venture in the Marvelous City, came the desire to bring here an extra taste of the Amazon.
“We are bringing the authenticity and magic of the Amazon to São Paulo, from the ingredients to the way they are produced. We want to enchant São Paulo residents with the richness of flavors and the history of our people”, says the chef.
The restaurant
The 160-seat house in Rua Gomes de Carvalho it was remodeled to reflect Saulo's Amazonian identity. The decoration took on an artisanal feel, with the use of braided straw, as well as little boats on the walls, lush green plants and a photo of the chef with an arapaima around his neck. Even an aquarium with a variety of Amazonian fish stands out in the environment.
As it could not be otherwise, the pirarucu appears here as one of the stars of tapajonic cuisine from the chef. I understand that this type of cuisine is, first and foremost, a positioning, as Saulo claims his own identity within Pará cuisine. His work is part of both Amazonian and Pará culture, but with more specific delimitations, as he uses Tapajós products and techniques.
On the menu at the São Paulo branch we can find dishes that are popular in other restaurants, such as the namesake “Casa do Saulo” (R$ 129.90), a grilled pirarucu fillet with Brazil nut sauce, plantain and pink shrimp, finished with roasted chestnuts and chives.
There is also the tambaqui rib à dorê (R$ 129.90) with Santarém bean risotto, pirarucu bacon and sautéed peppers with onion in herb butter and Sicilian lemon, as well as the tapajonic rice (R$ 129.90), with smoked and fresh pirarucu, poultry and pink shrimp on rice with tucupi and jambu.
There is also tacacá, piracuí cake (which is the flour made from dried salted fish) and pirarucu sausage with jambu.
Even the drinks don't escape: the restaurant's bar serves signature cocktails that incorporate the Tapajón philosophy and the chef's favorite ingredients, such as Tapajónico Gin (R$ 47.90), which contains cupuaçu pulp; O Cupuaçu Mule (R$ 45.90), with ginger with cupuaçu honey and cupuaçu foam; and the Tacacá Drink (R$ 49.90), with cachaça with jambu, tucupi and chicory syrup.
And the bond with the Amazon is not just restricted to dishes and drinks, as the new restaurant also has a small shop with products coming directly from the north. Among the items there are chocolates from Filha do Combu , a project on Ilha do Combu, in Belém, with 100% organic Amazonian cocoa that preserves the ways of life of riverside residents. There are also cachaças and various souvenirs, such as marajoara ornaments, soaps with Amazonian fruits, glasses and mugs.
Saulo, the “boy from the river”
Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
