already said Vinicius de Moraes in “Blessing of samba”, that if today he is “white in poetry, he is too black in heart”, and that it is “better to be happy than to be sad”.
The new Black Kitchen it is so, like the master’s poetry. He was born and brought from Bahia edible memories, artisanal products and a little love in the same cadence.
idealized by Rodrigo Freire, from Salvador, lawyer and cook, who saw in a charming house in Pinheiros the possibility of offering a trip to his favorite flavors in the capital of São Paulo, a vibrant food to be enjoyed without haste. In this little house, the famous “São Paulo madness” is outside.
Every corner of the property was designed and filled with ideas, plants and even an art gallery-bar. Rodrigo also imagined menus and moments for each space: coffee with delicacies under a tree in the backyard, cocktails and snacks around the counter and the works of art, Afro-Brazilian and sustainable dishes on every table.
“The soul is the menus at home, this everyday mixture of Portugal and Africa, which can only be accessed by people from Bahia. It’s the delicious bun for afternoon snacks, the mother’s chicken stewed with okra, the stepfather’s jerked beef, the grandmother’s Friday moqueca, one aunt’s xinxim, another’s tapioca pudding”, explains Rodrigo.
Sustainability is taken seriously. In the kitchen, the rule is to have few basic ingredients that must be used in full in different processes, obtained from responsible producers and which, in the end, generate very little waste.
For example, from the root to the leaf, without neglecting the stem, all of the coriander is vacuum-portioned in bags of cassava starch so that its life is prolonged.
Dried shrimp, on the other hand, is a separate chapter: caught only at new moon – and if it is larger than an index finger – by a riverside community in Saubara, in the Recôncavo, it is gently smoked in a hollow with coals of mastic. When it arrives in Preto, it is not seen as a protein, but as a precious spice.
From this same neighborhood comes the manufacture of palm oil, which gives color and intensity to various recipes without falling into the gastronomic cliché.
There, the broth rice with chicken xinxim comes with banana farofa (R$ 57); polenta with royal saffron and coconut has very long-cooked ossobuco (R$ 77); the white feijoada is made with seafood; and Balaio de Gato, a board with octopus tentacles, shrimp, squid, mussels, fish fillet and grilled vegetables, served over fried cassava and corn couscous, was set up to be festively shared.
The drinks list, signed by Christopher Carijówins the pat (mixed with coconut, rum and Sicilian lemon accompanied by cocada), mouth of zero nine (gin, Galician lemon, a touch of rosemary, cinnamon and orange served in a smoked glass) and miserê (gin, palm oil, vermouth, Bahia orange infusion and nutmeg).
On weekends, the house opens a little earlier, with a brunch which includes provocations such as beautiful Maria (a croque madame with curd cheese, fresh ham, béchamel and poached egg), the Little Joe (hot canasta cheese and béchamel) and the movie pancake (with fruit and cane molasses).
Rua Fradique Coutinho, 276, Pinheiros, São Paulo – SP / Opening hours: Monday, from 12 pm to 11 pm; Wednesday and Thursday, from 12pm to 11pm; Friday, from 12:00 to 24:00; Sunday, from 10 am to 8 pm. It does not open on Tuesdays.
Source: CNN Brasil
