Restinga Recanto: Lunch in Sambaqui
November 3, 2011 Leave a comment
By Rob Packer
I’ve written about Sambaqui before, but we decided to head back there to make the most of today’s public holiday without spending hours in the traffic jam heading to the east of the island.
We had lunch at Restinga Recanto, a restaurant decorated with traditional papier-mâché models used in the boi-de-mamão dance (a more humane version of bull-fighting, video here) and with one of the most spectacular views in Florianópolis.
Not a bad view for lunch.
The other side of the lunchtime view.
We started the meal with a pastel de siri (a fried crab empanada) and then had anchova à portuguesa with pirão de camarão and rice. If you take away the à portuguesapart (it meant ‘with a mustard sauce’ this time), this is one of the traditional lunches of Florianópolis.
Boi-de-mamão
More boi-de-mamão
Restinga Recanto, Rod. Rafael Rocha Pires, #2759, Sambaqui, Florianópolis
Food: Your views on anchovy are very dependent on what you think of oily fish (I like it, my lunch companion is fast going off it). On the other hand, the mustard sauce was just strange: it’s not that it was unpleasant; I just doubt I’ll order it again. The pirão, a mixture of mandioc paste and fish stock that’s much than it sounds, was good.
Service: Service is never great in Florianópolis, the place was very busy and we were in a corner, so waiters’ indifference to my arm-waving is at least partly excused.
Price: That view doesn’t come for free: R$39 (US$22, £14) for the anchovy with sides and it came to R$67 (US$38, £24) between two for the whole meal, which is pretty much the going rate.
Anchova à portuguesa: a traditional dish, but what's with the mustard sauce?
Pirão de camarão: a mixture of mandioc flour and fish stock, with some prawns thrown in.
Pastel de siri: a fried crab empanada.
Inside the pastel.
Some fried yucca to start.
