Paraíso is experiencing a boom in Japanese restaurants and cafes in SP – 12/08/2023 – Restaurants

Walking through the streets, it is possible to see signs written in Japanese and noren, as the small curtains hanging at the entrance of establishments in Japan are called. But we are not in Liberdade, but in Paraíso, a neighborhood in the south zone of São Paulo that is experiencing an explosion of new Asian restaurants, pastry shops and bars.

One of the addresses is Kuromoon, a bar that combines Japanese cuisine, led by Fernando Kuroda, and Korean, led by Fabio Moon.

Since it opened five months ago, the restaurant has sold out reservations — there is also first-come, first-served service — and has even become a point for chefs, such as Oscar Bosch, Telma Shiraishi, Benny Novak and Marcelo Correa Bastos.

With the style and decor of an Asian bar, it serves snacks. The most emblematic recipe is buta kimchi (R$ 18), a Japanese pork belly skewer with Korean spicy pickle. To drink, there is soju, a typical South Korean distillate, and sake.

Sakes are also a highlight at Amay, a confectionery store that opened in February. Specializing in sugar-free sweets, the house is run by Aya Tamaki, who opened a drink importer, Mega Sake, with her husband during the pandemic.

The fermented product is served from taps and can be paired with lighter Japanese sweets, such as vanilla choux cream (R$ 15) and matchá cake (R$ 26.90). Production takes place in a kitchen in the back, where around 300 products are produced per day.

Tamaki, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu de São Paulo, is a resident of Paraíso, as are many of the owners of other new establishments. She started serving the eastern community, but today her clientele includes more Brazilians, who are looking for healthier desserts.

Light sweets are also offered at Hakkopan, a bakery that opened its first physical store in May. Of Japanese descent, Andreia Yamane and Karin Yaegashi make bread, delicacies and drinks in a cutely decorated townhouse.

The breads are used to prepare snacks or can be taken home. The most popular are the shokupan (R$ 22; 550 g), traditional in shape, and the melon pan (R$ 12; 70 g), with a sugar crust. On the sweet side, the ichigo shortcake (R$32) is a strawberry cake with whipped cream.

You can try teas at Mori Chazeria, headed by Patricia Akemi, who serves the drink by the teapot starting at R$15.90.

Ten minutes away is Sozai Deli, which operates as a rotisserie and serves traditional Japanese food to take away or eat in. The address is champion of the take-home category of O Melhor de São Paulo, a special Sheet.

Showcases and refrigerators display frozen pasta and seasonings and bentos, oriental lunch boxes (from R$56). Tohya Yamashita, the owner, worked in Japanese restaurants until opening his own business, almost four years ago.

Ramen, a representative recipe for the country, has its place in places like Bimiya. The restaurant was created during the pandemic by Flavio Niitsu, who started making the recipe at home. Among its clients are Japanese executives who work in the Avenida Paulista region.

In fact, the neighborhood brings together branches of companies from the Asian country, which established themselves in Brazil from the 1980s onwards, such as Casio, Hitachi and the Kumon headquarters in Latin America, which attracted expatriates.

This is what architect Otávio Hosokawa, one of the founders of Associação Viva Paraíso and a resident of the neighborhood for over 40 years, explains. “Over time, Paraíso became a residential neighborhood for Japanese executives and also those from the colony.”

Restaurants and bars have emerged there mainly in the last decade, to serve this public and their descendants who live in the region and in the vicinity of Aclimação and Vila Mariana. “It’s a neighborhood that is growing a lot in terms of Asian cuisine,” says the owner of the Amay bakery.

One of the pioneering ramen houses, Jojo Ramen was opened in Paraíso in 2016. The owner, Simone Xirata, brought a master from Japan to formulate the recipes. “We chose this region to have an audience. As there are many expatriates, this would be a form of validation,” she says. The place became a reference, gained two branches and remains competitive.

The flagship is the noodles with broth seasoned with miso (R$56). The neighborhood is also known for having izakayas, traditional Japanese bars. Among them are Kinboshi, owned by the same owner as Kuromoon, Cocoro and Yorimichi.

But the region doesn’t just live on Asian news. Bar dos Cravos takes cocktails outside the Pinheiros and Itaim Bibi areas. The space was opened in May by five partners, including Arnaldo Altman, founder of Filial and Genésio.

In charge of the counter is mixologist Stephanie Marinkovic, who prepares classic and signature drinks, such as the Carnation Revolution (R$48), made with whiskey infused with asparagus and herbs, orange liqueur, dry vermouth and heart-shaped chocolate with salt on top.

A Portuguese inspiration appears on the food menu, designed by Guto Cavanha. Snacks and dishes such as alheira, a sausage made with bread, accompanied by egg and lemon (R$44) are served.

The NB Steak steakhouse chose the neighborhood to open its fifth unit in São Paulo, in August. The Santos-based La Maga, which offers empanadas, opened its first branch four months ago in a gallery. Even more recent, Mi&Mo has been operating for less than a month as a cat café, a café with space to interact with kittens.

In addition to Japanese cuisine, the neighborhood has an Arab heritage, represented by the restaurants Halim, close to Avenida Paulista, and Tenda do Nilo. There is also space for Indian food at Tandoor, Thai food at Krapook Khao, Brazilian food at Jiquitaia and Italian food.

A single tour is not enough to see everything.

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WHAT TO VISIT IN PARADISE

Amay
R. Cubatão, 305, @amay.doces

Carnation Bar
R. Osório Duque Estrada, 41, @bardoscravos

Bimiya
R. Teixeira da Silva, 445, @bimiya.ramen

Bráz Pizzaria
R. Abílio Soares, 912, @brazpizzaria

Hakkopan
R. Mário Amaral, 167, @hakkopan

Halim
R. Dr. Rafael de Barros, 56, @restauranthalim

Izakaya Cocoro
R. Cubatão, 138, @izakaya.cocoro

Izumi
R. Manuel da Nóbrega, 1,026, @izumi_ig

Jiquitaia
R. Colonel Oscar Porto, 808, @jiquitaia

Jojo Ramen
R. Dr. Rafael de Barros, 262, @jojo_ramen

Krapook Khao
R. Mário Amaral, 212, @krapookkhao

Kinboshi
R. Colonel Oscar Porto, 319, @kinboshikaraoke

Kuromoon
R. Teixeira da Silva, 596, @kuromoon.br

La Maga
R. Manuel da Nóbrega, 40, @lamagapaulista

Mi&Mo
R. Colonel Oscar Porto, 400, @miemo_gatocafe

Mori Chazeria
R. Cel. Oscar Porto, 267, @mori.chazeria

Nara Obento
R. Sampaio Viana, 80, @naraobento

NB Steak
Al. Santos, 322, @nbsteak

Raful Arabic Cuisine
R. Manuel da Nóbrega, 1,154, @rafulrestaurant

Shin-ZushI
R. Afonso de Freitas, 169, @shinzushiofficial

Sozai Deli
TV. Umberto Bignardi, 7, @sozaideli

Tandoor
R. Mário Amaral, 559, @tandoorsp

Nile Tent
R. Colonel Oscar Porto, 638, @tent_of_thenile

Yorimichi Izakaya
R. Otávio Nébias, 203, @yorimichi_izakaya