Eating in SP - Bread

As soon as you get your first breakfast here (or mostly anywhere in Brazil) you’ll get acquainted with our most common local bread, named here “Pão Francês,” literally “French bread.” You’ll have this for breakfast and this is the bread that will envelop your sandwich in case you choose to have one for a meal at one of our several Padarias.

 Freshly-baked Pão Francês

Slightly salty, a fine loaf of Pão Francês must be crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside… its crust should be crispy, and make a delicious noise as you bite it. Some rubbery versions may indicate that the bread is not fresh, or maybe just that the recipe is not good.

Some suggestions to try at any local padaria:

- pão na chapa (an open loaf of pão francês that receives a generous amount of butter and is pressed for some minutes on the grill where other sandwiches are prepared; a classic for a quick breakfast when you’re on the go);

A typical order: pão na chapa with coffee and milk

- sanduíche de churrasco com queijo (a nice piece of meat is grilled together with a bountiful amount of yellow cheese… if you prefer something less fatty, ask for yours “aparado”, this means the evident fat of the beef will be removed):

- sanduíche de carne-louca (a classic in old-times kids parties is now offered by some places; well-seasoned shredded beef, wet with tomato sauce, fills in a loaf of bread for that quick meal; nice with a glass of orange juice or a Guaraná).

Carne-louca means "mad meat"!!!



AVENIDA PAULISTA - Walking Along 2

Now let’s take the left-hand sidewalk. Still on r. Bernardino de Campos, at the 98, try one of the delicious juices of Bolados Sucos (the menu in this link is in English) – go for some typical tropical fruit.

This juice shop is the corner shop of a gallery that goes through the block and reaches the street behind. In case you’re missing international chains, cross this gallery and you’ll find Subway and Starbucks on the back street.

But going on to Av. Paulista, at number 37 is Casa das Rosas (House of the Roses), a cultural center with daily activities and exhibitions. Pocket shows, poetry, literature… get inside its beautiful garden and check what is on. If nothing grabs your interest, you may try the charming café. The setting somehow reminds me of the gardens of the Musée Rodin in Paris.

 The garden of Casa das Rosas

 The house itself

The café at the back - not visible from the street.

Some steps ahead, at number 149 you’ll find another cultural center, Itaú Cultural. Maintained by a huge banking institution, the site is home to more avant-garde exhibitions, usually involving new technologies, breakthrough artists, video installations, etc. Music and other performances are usually free, people just have to queue for tickets one hour before the appointed time.  The second floor is a library and the ground floor is home to a nice café.

Centro Cultural Itaú - exhibitions, library, performances, and a café.