Known as symbol of japanese immigration in São Pauloa Freedom it is much more multiple than one might imagine at first glance.
The region attracts a varied profusion of ethnicities in search of opportunities and new restaurants are constantly popping up in the neighborhood, some of which are difficult to decipher the menu or that leave us in doubt as to whether it is worth entering.
Therefore, it takes a pioneering spirit to go through some hidden doors.
It is worth remembering that I am not talking here about western chefs who reproduce oriental dishes with perfection and years of study and technique.
What you see in most of these places are people who left their countries in search of a better life and found a way of sustenance in their own culture.
Therefore, cuisine is not always easy to understand for our palate, which is educated by Western spices and textures. But this immigrants’ kitchen it is rich in flavors and aromas, in the use of ingredients and, above all, in cultural heritage.
From Chinese to Indian restaurants, below, I give you a small sample of what you can find in the neighborhood of Freedomwhere we can explore what doesn’t always appear in the guides.
Figueirinha Restaurant
O Chinese Cantonese restaurant moved this year from the lobby of the Fresh Hotel to the space on Rua da Glória and is still mainly frequented by Chinese.
The service starts at 9 am and goes straight until 10 pm with the same menu, although at night there is also a buffet set up, which to venture out would require a little more knowledge about the ingredients available.
The steaming aromatic pans under the tables are tempting, but the à la carte menu has enough options for those who are new to the subject. Among the unmissable orders, I highlight a shrimp din sun and a shrimp and pork din – light and intensely tasty.
The millennial egg soup is what they call comforting. With a flavor reminiscent of homemade chicken soup, the glutinous broth surrounds the pieces of eggs. And, speaking of glutinous, the rice “pasta”, with an elastic texture, are interesting options to depart from the traditional yakisobas and bifuns, which are also on the menu.
Bao, a fluffy Chinese steamed bun, is another good option. And there’s no mistake: the classic spring roll goes well for those who are afraid to take a risk. To accompany, in the best oriental style, it is worth the jasmine tea.
Rua da Glória, 158, Liberdade, São Paulo – SP (in the building of the 7th Notary Public of São Paulo) / Tel.: (11) 91231-2399 / Opening hours: Tuesday from 4:30 pm to 10 pm; Wednesday to Monday from 8:45 to 22:00.
butaman
O butaman Liba’s Food Court is hidden in the gallery on Rua Barão de Iguape. Buta-man is a fluffy and soft Chinese dumpling, stuffed with pork and steamed. In Japan, it is sold in convenience stores; in Brazil, this place is occupied by coxinha and potato bread.
By the way, to suit the Brazilian palate, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, chef at Yakitori Cocoro, which is right at the entrance to the gallery, created the cheese buta-man – but bet on the traditional pork dish, which is no mistake.
By steaming, it is also possible to order the pork or shrimp shumai, a thin rice pasta to remind you that oriental street cuisine does not live only on fried foods.
Rua Barão de Iguape, 158/164, Liberdade, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 99694-1626 / Every day from 11:30 am.
Shindo Lamen
Do you have money in your pocket and a little willingness to arrive early and get your password? At the back of the same gallery in Butaman is one of the most peculiar cooks in the area.
In a tiny improvised kitchen, with few seats at the counter and owner of a very dry Portuguese vocabulary, Michihiko Shindo prepares three or four times a week about 35 servings of ramen.
There are two flavors a day, always being one of the vegan options. And you know what? Go vegan. Not that the other option isn’t good, but the explosion of flavors it achieves without the use of meat and animal fat so characteristic of ramens is impressive.
The most intriguing thing is that he often uses a typically Brazilian ingredient in this dish: tucupi. I say that Shindo is not a meal, it is an experience.
Rua Barão de Iguape, 158/164, Liberdade, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 96191-1566 / Hours and dishes announced by the Instagram.
Curry’s Indian Cuisine
In the area most inhabited by Japanese restaurants in Liberdade, there is a stranger in the nest. It was there at Thomaz Gonzaga that Kanchana Kanojia opened her restaurant specializing in indian cuisinemore precisely thali, a trivial food that could perhaps be called “PF” by a Brazilian in New Delhi.
With intense flavors, but with the pepper adapted to the taste of São Paulo residents, the curries are surrounded by other delicious and aromatic flavors, such as Basmathi rice cooked in ghee and cumin butter, and samosa (R$16), the Indian pastel stuffed with potato, peas and spices.
Warm, freshly prepared naan bread (R$8) is the perfect accompaniment to go involving lamb curry or unctuous vegetable kofta, dumplings cooked in tomato curry, cashew nuts and dried fruits with spices – one of several vegetarian options from the menu.
Rua Thomaz Gonzaga, 45C, Liberdade, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 3132-0111; (11) 98543-7705 / Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday and Sunday from 11 am to 9 pm; Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 10 pm; break from 16:00 to 18:00 on service days.
Thai Chef
Another stranger in the nest on Thomaz Gonzaga Street is the Thai Chef. Thai cuisine here comes to the table well served, always aromatic and with a contrast of acidity, sweetness, spiciness and umami.
Classic recipes prepared by the chef are a real feast for the taste buds, such as Som Tam (from R$30 for regular and R$54 with shrimp), famous Thai papaya salad in strips with roasted peanuts, tomatoes, carrots, green beans, fish sauce and lemon, which mix citrus and slightly sweet flavors.
The intensity of the pepper can be chosen by the customer; Thais like it sharp.
Another classic option is Tom Yum (from R$35), a flavored soup cooked with shrimp and that comes with galangal, a light touch of kaffir lime leaf, herbs, fresh pepper, lemongrass and shimeji, too. available in chicken version.
Rua Thomaz Gonzaga, 45D, Liberdade, São Paulo – SP / Tel.: (11) 95999-4884 (WhatsApp) / Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm and from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm; Saturday from 11:30 am to 4 pm and from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm and Sunday from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm; closed on mondays.
About Giuliana Nogueira
In addition to dividing her time between Uruguayan wines and gastronomy photography, Giuliana Nogueira also travels around the city looking for gastronomic experiences full of good stories. She is not an oenologist or sommelierè, but she is an oenophile, in which she maintains Instragram @Instannatspeaking more about Uruguayan wines than the Uruguayans themselves.
Source: CNN Brasil
