A Porteña in Sampa

Restaurant Review: Pobre Juan/ Juanita

A lot have passed since my last post, and this is what's up: after having survived my horrid post-travel depression, after being told that my escapism dreams and plans were inconceivable, I finally found some peace when I moved out of home and came to the big city - São Paulo. I started being a tourist in my own country. I have been in SP several times but I have never explored it properly. Now I am able to do it, and it keeps my mind doped from the wanderlust and I am able to carry on with my life.

For me one of the best ways to get to know the city is by food, of course. so I decided to share here some of my gastronomic experiences since I moved, three months ago. I will start with what I think it makes more sense to begin the story with: Argentinian food. Since I am a natural "porteña" - which is the nomination for who or what is from the enchanting city of Buenos Aires, Argentina - I will start my SP experiences from there.

A friend took me to an Argentinian restaurant a couple of weeks - Pobre Juan - which is a bit pricey but is just amazing. I am not a big fan of meat - actually, after being pampered with the Argentinian one, I just can't properly appreciate the Brazilian meat. Maybe is just a matter of personal taste, but for me the Argentinian meat is unbeatable. And you gotta taste the weird stuff, otherwise you can't possibly say that you did experience the real local cuisine.

Like Morcillas, which is a dark red colored sausage dish made with pig's blood, meat, rice, onion and spices,. They might sound and look disgusting, but they are definitely one of my favorite dishes. And my mom says it's really healthy, but I don't know if it was just to fool me into eating them. I was trying to convince my friend of the highly mazes of the Morcilla, so I called this very friendly guy from the restaurant, Mr. Simão. But my ears could not possibly believe when he said that he - who has worked in that restaurant for several years- had NEVER EVER tasted one! Unbelievable. People! Get your shit together.

Go also for the basic empanadas of course (which I have not tasted at Pobre Juan, but I did find an amazing little restaurant in Bela Cintra Street called Juanita, with authentic, beautiful and more affordable empanadas!- with the adorable little touch of engraving the flavor of each empanada on top of them, making our lives much much easier when you order dozens of them).

"Empanadas (literally meaning wrapped in bread) are savory pastry pockets, filled with a variety of delicious stuffings. Traditionally, empanadas are a Hispanic culinary delicacy, but have since spread and become a popular dish in other Hispanic countries, all of which have their own regional variations. Argentinian empanadas, in particular, are considered to be some of the best in the world."

One word? Just amazing. Better than pizza.

So, we ordered some amazing mushroom risotto, some parmesan whatever risotto, and a bife de chorizo. I told you that I don't generally care about meat, like that other time that I went to the restaurant "Templo da Carne by Marcos Bassi", which is supposed to have phenomenal meat (that's all they actually have there!) did not impress me. Plus the impersonal and unfriendly customer service, I actually regretted a little going there.

Well, as I was saying, although a little bit too salty, that meat was delicious. I top ranked it for Brazil standarts. I highly recommend Pobre Juan. And of course, if you wanna make it a real Argentinian experience, do yourself a favor and order some red wine. Cheers!

#sãopaulo #food #tourist #gastronomic #argentinian #empanadas