Meet Mico, chef Renata Vanzetto’s new restaurant in SP, with Mediterranean touches

There is a new subject between the cool people of social networks and those who like to go out to eat in São Paulo. In fact, it’s not that unheard of — chef Renata Vanzetto has opened a new restaurant, her ninth venture.

Open to the public since Tuesday, the 29th, the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant already has full tables, even though it is hidden in the mezzanine of another Vanzetto restaurant, Mi.Ado, in the Jardins region, in the west side of São Paulo.

The buzz also arises because the cook is only 33 years old — and a series of small obsessions.

This is the case of the letter “M” and a block from Rua Bela Cintra, which concentrates most of its businesses. The newcomer Mico occupies the mezzanine of the Asian Mi.Ado, which shares a wall with the Matilda cafeteria. This, in turn, is a neighbor of the property that houses the author Ema, the MeGusta bar and the Mé tavern. On the other side of the road is the affectionate Muquifo – who will soon migrate to the same sidewalk as the rest of the family. Finally, there is Buffet Vanzetto, also in Jardins, and Pescadora, in Ilhabela, on the north coast of São Paulo. Marakuthai, the Thai-inspired house that marked its debut in gastronomy, was acquired two years ago by the Bahian group Ergo.

“My idea is that the person comes one day for dinner at Matilda and, the following week, goes to Ema, which has a completely opposite proposal”, she says in a telephone interview, while getting a haircut in a salon. “It’s a democratic thing. At Ema you spend around R$300, but Matilda has R$30 snacks.

With almost 165 thousand followers on Instagram and active on social networks, Vanzetto is part of the wave of chefs with one foot in the influencer career. “During the beginning of the pandemic, I was isolated on the beach with my children and I started to cook almost compulsively. My husband, then, came up with the idea of ​​filming the preparations and posting on Instagram.” The videos with recipes were so successful that today they make more money than the ventures themselves, she confesses. “But I still pay a lot more attention to my restaurants, because that’s what I love. There’s no way around it.”

Those who follow Vanzetto on the networks must have noticed that spreads, vegetables, grains, olive oil and seafood were among the most used ingredients lately. That’s where Mico was born, the incarnation of the chef’s current gastronomic obsessions. “I wanted to open a place that would also work well for delivery. So I thought of investing in an Arab one, which is one of my favorite styles.” Mico should arrive at iFood later this month.

During the research, which included a course with a Syrian chef, the cook understood that the trip would be broader and that the menu would also have a Mediterranean flavor, “so as not to have too many rules.” Afterwards, she gave her touch on the traditional recipes that mark the region.

As a result, snacks such as the baba ghanoush croquettes (R$ 38 with four units), in which the eggplant spread is breaded in the shape of dumplings, and colorful versions of hummus emerged. There is Pink Hommus, in which the chickpea and tahini paste is enriched with beetroot and finished with dry curd, mint and pistachio (R$40) and Vanzetto’s, made with lots of coriander (R$36). The portions arrive accompanied by warm pita bread.

For the main course, the menu suggests variations of kibbeh – the roast has cashew nuts and “lots of onions in butter” for R$49– and the octopus made in white wine and served with golden potatoes, which costs R$195. For two people. There is also the shoulder of lamb that is slowly roasted for hours. With 1.3 kg, it serves up to four people and costs R$ 350.

To top it off, there is a tahini brûlée tart (R$ 28), but there is also the Ridiculous Pie, whose recipe was a hit in the chef’s profile and which should inspire yet another business in the future, the tenth — the Ridiculous Grocery. “I’m just waiting for the spot to wander here on the block,” she jokes. The pie costs R$35 and has a Sicilian lemon filling with meringue and raspberry syrup.

Meals are served in a cramped but comfortable room, which is reached after crossing the Asian Mi.Ado and going up a flight of stairs. The decor combines earthy and green tones to complete the menu proposal, but the soundtrack is Brazilian and the atmosphere is relaxed.

“I think that’s what connects all my businesses. They’re all stripped down.”