Some chefs are satisfied with making good food every day. Then there are those who also fight for their causes while cooking.
There are those that look all over town for the right ingredients. And then there are those that go to the Amazon to see what untamed Brazil has to offer.
And launch recipes that are then copied, winning awards for their trouble.
Alex Atala is all of these: researcher, cook, encouraging producers and posing for photos.
He serves the very Frenck duck confit, but also filhote (freshwater fish), tapioca (manioc flour), priprioca (herb) and tucupi (sauce), all typical of the Amazonian region.
His feet are firmly set in Brazil, a bit like the restaurant: where there is an enormous French Baccarat chandelier, as elegant as his customers.
However what really grabs your attention is the wooden canoe brought directly from São Gabriel da Cachoeira in the Amazon, allowing an intimate look at what really moves the chef's food and soul.
BEST RESTAURANT (DATAFOLHA)
ALSO WON (DATAFOLHA): FASANO
