A small white house at the beginning of Rua França Pinto has tables in the tiny room and some seats on the sidewalk. Strings of white light bulbs give the façade a graceful look. Wooza is like that: intimate, cozy, a precious corner to be discovered in Vila Mariana.
The flagship of the house is mandu, a Korean “pastelzinho” that became popular in Brazil as gyoza. Juan Carlos Won Kyun Sim Choi, son of South Koreans, and his wife, Judy Fang Lu Lin, of Taiwanese descent, started by producing the mandus at home. With different fillings and naturally colored pasta, the business expanded and had to be taken to the little house in Vila Mariana, where they ended up creating an environment for deliveries that would become a small bar.
The mandu can come stuffed with pork shank, shrimp with pork, kimchi with pork, kimchi with tofu, mushroom with tofu or corn with cheese. It is steamed and fried and comes in portions of six units, with prices ranging from R$ 20 to R$ 24 (shrimp). You can order the mixed portion. With striking flavors, they go very well with the drinks on the menu prepared by mixologist and bar consultant Suemi Uemura. The house drink is RuJu (R$23), made with soju, lemon soda, sesame leaf and lemon. It is light, refreshing and perfect to accompany spicy dishes. The menu also features options such as Negroni, Gin & Tonic, Jack Old Fashioned, Jameson & Ginger and lemon caipirinha. Juan is a cachaça connoisseur, so there is a selection of 12 special labels such as Weber Haus, Tiê and Araz (R$12 a shot). You can also order soju (R$35 for a 360 ml bottle), Trapiche Malbec wine (R$70) or Heineken beer (R$13 for a long neck and R$18 for a 600 ml bottle).
Another good choice is the Ssam (R$32), the “brought” made with lettuce and sesame leaves that must be stuffed with rice and a protein, which can be spicy pancetta, bulgogui (slightly sweetened beef) or eryngui mushroom in a vegetarian version of bulgogui. Accompanied by kimchi and fermented soybean paste.
For those who like spicy dishes, Topokki (R$ 28) brings rice pasta sautéed with fish balls, vegetables and egg dipped in a very spicy sauce. And for those looking for a dish with more sustenance, Bibimbap is the suggestion. The bowl accommodates rice with sautéed vegetables, free-range egg and pepper sauce. It costs R$30 for the simple version and R$36 with meat. Despite the tidy presentation, the important thing is to mix all the ingredients well before enjoying the dish.
There are currently two desserts: a cheesecake with red fruit sauce (R$23) from By Kim Confeitaria and assorted cookies (R$12) from Ooeycookie.
The restaurant does not take reservations and is open from Wednesday to Saturday from 6 pm – but also delivers via iFood. Mandus can also be bought frozen and prepared at home; comes with a leaflet with everything explained, there is no mistake. I prepared a portion stuffed with mushrooms and they were perfect, with that crunchy crust and everything. If you play in this little house!
Wooza – map here
Rua França Pinto, 203, Vila Mariana, São Paulo
Phone: 0/xx/11/97399-6990
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