Nathalia Durval
Tuju is back. After a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, chef Ivan Ralston reopens his award-winning restaurant. The house got a new address, on a dead-end street in Jardim Paulistano, close to Avenida Faria Lima — before, it was located in Vila Madalena.
The new space gained an air of exclusivity, serving only nine tables per dinner. The signature cuisine based on the seasonality of the ingredients remains, offered in a ten-course tasting menu priced at R$890.
Tuju restaurant hall, in Jardim Paulistano –
During the break, the restaurant gained its own research institute, the Tuju Research and Creativity Center, in the same property. Led by gastronomy researcher Katherina Cordás, it is dedicated to studying ingredients through the seasonality of the territory where they are produced. The place also functions as a school, with free courses.
The menu was created based on research by Ralston and Cordás, carried out over two years of the chef’s travels through Brazilian biomes. The highlight is the cuisine of the state of São Paulo and surrounding areas.
It changes with each season of the year and, in this edition, features recipes such as duck with beetroot, sardines with avocado and purple potatoes and tomatoes with seaweed and tucupi. To sweeten it, there are chocolates made with Brazilian chocolate by pastry chef Rhaiza Zanetti – the sweets can be tasted on the roof of the house, decorated with exposed concrete and vertical gardens.
On the first floor is the main lounge, with an open kitchen. A bar on the ground floor offers a drinks list and from there you can see the two-story cellar, with around 5,000 wines, divided into a thousand labels, mainly from the Burgundy region, in France.
Tomato with seaweed and tucupi, from Tuju –
Drinks can be paired with the meal, in two options. One of them offers ten different wines, selected by sommeliers Juliana Carani and Tiago Menezes, for an additional R$690. The version with special and rare labels costs R$1,500.
To dine at the restaurant, you must make a reservation on the website tuju.com.br. It is necessary to deposit R$200 per person in advance, deducted from the final bill. The reservation cannot be canceled or modified before 72 hours — after the deadline, the fee is not refunded. On Saturdays, lunch is also served.
Tuju opened in 2014 and, just eight months after opening, it won its first Michelin star – the second came in the following years. The house also entered the list of the best in Latin America by the 50 Best award.
Source: Folha
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