KEEPIN’ IT RIO at Mata Petisco Bar (1690 Queen W) as part of U-Feast. June 2, 2016. Tickets: $60, available here.
Celebrate in style and eat like a full-fledged Carioca on June 2 at Mata Petisco Bar’s tasting tour of Rio. In anticipation of the this summer’s Olympic Games, chefs Felipe Faccioli and Tulio Lessa are offering up a delicious one-off menu that reflects the diverse city of Rio: influences from places like Angola, Portugal and Japan only scratch the surface of its cuisine that has evolved over centuries.
At this week’s Keepin’ it Rio event, hearty Feijoada is given a modern spin as the beloved black bean stew is transformed into crispy croquettes. Then dive into meaty octopus coils with Arroz de Polvo that features Linguica, rice and smoked tomato. And don’t forget to raise a toast with your Caipirinha, Brazil’s tangy national cocktail.
We caught up with co-owner and front of house manager Steve Fernandes about the bar’s second collaboration with U-Feast, the menu – and which sport he’ll be watching closely at the Olympics.
How will Mata’s chefs bring their unique cooking styles to the night?
The chefs (Felipe Faccioli and Tulio Lessa) are also my partners at the restaurant. They are Brazilian, so it is not a stretch for them – it is what they are used to in terms of traditional foods and what they grew up with. The menu was conceptualized by them in particular, highlighting the regional specific foods of Rio.
What are some of the hallmark flavours of Brazil will we taste at this event?
Our concept revolves around South American ingredients and dishes, and then we play with that, infusing them with western/Canadian foods. For instance, for our Feijoada, we will be transforming it from its beloved state as a bean stew with rice and playing around with it by turning it into crispy croquettes. It is similar to an arancini but in a Brazilian style – we’re taking that black bean stew idea and adapting those flavours to something a little bit more adventurous.
What dishes are you most excited for people to try? Can you walk us through the menu?
I’m excited for everything… I can’t point to one specific dish. All of these creations are new and just for this event.
For instance the Pastel de Bacalhau – we usually serve it as a cod fish fritter, but this time we’ll be putting them inside empanadas. It’s more of an approachable and familiar dish, I’d say.
We’ll also be featuring a hearts of palm salad with Coalho cheese skewer. For lack of a better description, the cheese is similar to halloumi in that it is that rubbery/textured cheese, and every one of these dishes has a direct link to Rio itself. So this type of cheese is something you would find on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. Vendors would always be passing by and offering to sell it – they would have a little grill with them and prepare it right in front of you. It’s fresh, grilled cheese you enjoy on the beach. So that’s kind of the inspiration for that dish.
As for the shrimp and chayote dish, the inspiration comes from the all palm trees in the rainforest as well as it being an homage to the heavy Portuguese influences we’ve had.
For our Arroz de Polvo we pair octopus with chorizo which is another Portuguese influence. We have a variation of it on our regular menu and it’s so popular that it is one of our mainstays, so I’m looking forward for our guests to try this dish.
And the last one is dessert: Rabanada con açai – our version of French toast but in a Brazilian style. We use ACE bakery baguette that gets soaked in milk, battered in egg and deep-fried, then dusted with cinnamon sugar and served with dulce de leche. We pair it with acai sorbet we get straight from Brazil.
Where are all the ingredients sourced?
We have ingredients brought in from Brazil if we can’t find the items here. But we also source a lot locally. For instance Augusta Fruit Market (for fruits and vegetables), Segovia Meats and Perola’s Supermarket (for Latin American spices) – these are great places in the Kensington Market area.
Lightning Round
If I wasn’t a restaurant owner, I would be ____________.
On a beach in Brazil.
I admire ____________ most in the food and restaurant business.
I get inspiration from industry people like Anthony Bourdain as well as other restaurants in the city of Toronto. I look at what these restaurateurs do and take notes on what I want to emulate. Places like Bar Isabel – what Grant is doing is a great inspiration for me.
If you’re not eating at your restaurant, where would you go and what would you order?
Hanmoto for their hamachi tartare.
Which sport(s) are you most excited for during the Olympics?
I’m Portuguese and the chefs are Brazilian, so the obvious answer is soccer!
Get more info on Thursday’s U-Feast event here.
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