AK Vila

Vila Madalena has so many new restaurants I want to check out - they all look so FUN everytime we pass by. I'm driving home with my 2 small children in the back of the car, and lamenting the lack of fun in my life.

So I first stopped by this restaurant AK Vila one weekday afternoon as we were looking for somewhere for a coffee. My cousin was in town from Singapore and all she wanted was an iced coffee. They had no idea what one was (you would think the name was a give away) but in their defence they went away with our instructions on how to make one and they did it perfectly. I like people who can think out of the box.

And I liked their chairs. So I decided to get some made (in Embu). 

So third, and probably the most important, thing I needed to check out was the food. Started off with a delicious bruschetta of dates and gorgonzola, and a tuna tartare with avocado. I'm one of those people who finds everything appealing on the menu (probably because I'm always hungry) and then I want to order last because I want to see what everyone is ordering, so I can change my mind at least once, or ten times. I finally settled on the Stinco de Cordeiro, I know, doesn't sound so appealing but it was a Lamb Shank on creamy polenta. It was really, really, really good. What you want on a relatively cold and rainy day in Sao Paulo.  I'm a lamb lover (ok no NZ / sheep jokes please) and it's a very difficult meat to find here unless you go to a specific butcher or are happy to just buy frozen in the supermarket. The others had a Peruvian soup with rice and prawns. It was spicy, properly spicy. The risotto was only OK. The rare tuna steak was the winner of the day. I'm going to have to go back specifically to have that whole plate to myself. Meal was R120 per person with a cocktail or two each.

NOT a kid friendly place. My first impression walking by the first day was that it was. I saw a group of ladies having lunch and one of their babies was with them, sitting in their bumbo chair on the table joining in in on all the girly chat. I thought, how civilised. But a Sunday afternoon is a different matter. The restaurant was packed and there were people waiting, our girls were fine but our friends' 1 year old was all over the place. Brazilians are the most accommodating when it comes to children but as the parents having to run after that said child, it's a different matter.

Leave the kids home, go to AK Vila.