Renata Vanzetto is restless and has a keen sense to undertake in gastronomy. He manages, like few others, to imprint his personality on all the houses of the group he heads, Eme, which is made up of the restaurants Ema, MeGusta, Muquifo, Matilda, Mé and Mi.Ado, and the youngest of the class, the little mico.
Mico’s entrance is the same as Mi.Ado’s, in Jardins. Which leads us to the question: why not keep the second floor of Mi.Ado as well, since he lives with a line at the door, instead of opening a new restaurant in the same place? This is Renata’s mystery. But everyone knows and one thing is a fact: she doesn’t stitch without a knot and the lines are now in both houses.
Following the same pattern as the other developments, Mico is small, with few and disputed – very disputed, it is worth mentioning – tables, and a decoration full of details. Starting with the wall painted with a beautiful forest and many tamarins, in addition to plants hanging from the ceiling. The bar has a retro feel and the cozy balcony easily takes you on an afternoon in Morocco.
On the menu, the proposal is to order several dishes to share. In Mico, recipes with an accent from Middle East they arrive in small portions, full of colors, flavors, seasonings and, of course, accompanied by good olive oil and warm pita bread.
Start with the portion of babaganush croquette (R$ 36 – four units) that comes with a spicy garlic cream. Also order the famous raw tuna kibe from Ema, which is present in the new house, with pomegranate seeds, mint, crispy flatbread, wheat and dry curd (R$ 43), or even the Tchururu, a delicious baked feta cheese with raw ham, fresh figs, pistachios, honey, oregano, tomatoes and bread (R$ 64).
And, as in every house with flavors from the East, Renata also created a well-executed trio of pastas, called trio Calafrio, with babaganush, pink hummus and dry curd (R$38).
Then go for the well-served octopus in white wine with garlic, parsley and lemon, which is accompanied by golden potatoes and spicy garlic cream (R$ 174 – with four tentacles to share).
There is still the whole shoulder of lamb roasted for hours with herb sauce (R$ 235 – to share between three people); the Kibe & Eggplant in the oven, which are slices of eggplant roasted with tomato sauce with a touch of cinnamon and finished with two fried kibes and dry curd (R$ 48); and a cauliflower for coriander lovers, which arrives toasted over cilantro hummus, coriander oil and almonds (R$40).
During the week, Mico has an executive menu for R$68 with main course and dessert.
Finally, the pistachio brigadeiro arrives creamy and warm in a small pan (R$ 40), the kind you can’t stop eating.
These recipes from the East are part of Renata’s life, which, as she says, are her favorites for meetings with friends. “A fresh, informal kitchen to share. Mico, a kitchen without shame!”, jokes the chef, making a pun on the name of the restaurant.
In fact, as a mico, Mico has nothing.
Rua Bela Cintra, 1533, Jardins – São Paulo – SP/ Reservations Click here / Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 12pm to 3pm and from 7pm to 11pm, Saturdays from 1pm to 5pm and 7:30pm to 11pm, Sundays from 1pm to 5pm.
Source: CNN Brasil
