Mani is a Michelin star Brazilian restaurant headed by chef Helena Rizzo and Willem Vandeven. My partner was adamant at getting reservations for this. Since the restaurant’s reservation system was a little odd at the time, my partner was talking to them through WhatsApp. Since Chef Helena Rizzo wasn’t going to be there during our reservation, she sent a birthday congratulations message thru Whatsapp to me, which I thought was very humble and extremely awesome.

My partner made a reservation for D.O.M. months in advanced because of a Brazilian chef, Alex Atala, featured on Chef’s Table. What was very attractive to me was how he is known for using indigenous Brazilian ingredients in the dishes. My partner had also contemplated bringing me to a Japanese or Asian type restaurant, but that could not really showcase what Brazil is about. D.O.M. was rated at 53 on World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 and 33 on Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022, and it has also received a Michelin 2 Star rating.

This is our first trip together to Brazil and São Paulo together. I’ve met many Brazilians at work, but I did not have any idea what to really expect out of the gourmand food scene. Unlike New York City, many of these Michelin Star restaurants were easier to get into. My partner chose this recently rewarded Michelin 2 star restaurant, Evvai, because it was known for showcasing Brazilian ingredients in a refine way.