Where to eat in Rio de Janeiro: Entretapas

UPDATED - THE RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

A bit of Spain in Brazil

We were greeted by Chef Jan Santos and Antônio, who run the restaurant, who were super attentive to the presentation and harmony of the dishes. Well, do you know what a tapas bar is?

Relatively new in Brazil, tapas bars are excellent places to go with friends, as they themselves joked, no one goes to a tapas bar to discuss their relationship, they go to have delicious experiences every time! Okay, but what are tapas? Tapas are not specific dishes that you'll find on the menu, they represent Spanish gastronomic culture, a fun way to eat, whether in small portions or not, they are tastes and sensations to be shared among the others at the table and share beyond the taste! Tapas are delicious and there's something for everyone.

I went to the restaurant on Valentine's Day and there was a very special menu, which cost R$119.00 with a welcome drink, appetizers to start, two salad options, two main course options and dessert!
Of course, just by reading it I was already curious about the names and I saw that on the wall there was a very cool sticker, a photo explaining in a funny way many of the names that are part of Spanish culture.

One of the names that piqued my curiosity came right at the beginning: jamón croqueta and champignon cream with Jerez and jamón chocante!
What are croquettes? According to the picture, they are crispy little cakes on the outside and deliciously soft on the inside. Very good, definitely a must for anyone who goes to the restaurant.

Much of the Valentine's Day menu will not be on their traditional menu, but the croquetas are more than traditional, so don't miss out!
For the salad there were two options, duck and tomato salad with 3 textures and white broad bean salad with tomato and paprika vinaigrette. In fact, the first is a beautiful dish, but my choice was the second option, which was to die for, very tasty and crunchy, I love it when you eat it and it makes that crunchy crunch...

For the main course there was a choice of filet mignon with Bousaín cheese, caramelized onions and mint and pea trinxat, I had already eaten a similar dish on another occasion, and anything with this mint and pea trinxat is a great option, very tasty! But since I like to try different things and the renowned Chef Jan also confessed to us that rice was his favorite, I went for the rice option, after all, how could I not follow the tip of the creator of these delicacies? lol

Mar Y Montanã rice with quail and squid fidéus, VERY tasty and made the atmosphere even cooler, he taught us how to eat the quail, don't feel shy, it's with your hand! And I particularly love everything I put my hand to, I really enjoy using various senses in a meal and literally feeling the dish made all the difference, not to mention that the rice was just the right texture with a sensational touch of squid "fedéus", it was filleted squid, looking more like cheese than anything, but with a surreal and discreet squid taste, I'm such a foodie that I'm already thinking about the dish again as if it were in front of me!

To top it all off, there was the chocolate Empredat with English pequi cream, but isn't pequi local? Isn't it great when we manage to marry two cuisines so well? Spain and Brazil have combined so well that they've created a taste like no other! The empredat is like a mini brownie and with the light sourness of the pequi, it completely transformed the dish to another level!

The dinner was wonderful with wonderful people!
Some blogs were present and it was lovely to meet up with our friends Leo from Maior Viagem, Lili from Apaixonados por viagens, Carla from Fui, gostei e conti and Dani from na Mochila da Ninja. We were able to celebrate Valentine's Day in a different way, exemplifying all forms of love, i.e. from singles to married couples, or boyfriends and girlfriends, or married couples without their partners can celebrate this date among friends in the deepest love of food...lol

We started at 8 p.m. and by midnight we were still chatting, getting to know Jan's beautiful story in depth. He had to work from a very young age to help his family, and it was only later, through a love affair in Spain, that he unpretentiously got into cooking! I'm so glad he had the chance to give us the pleasure of his dishes!
I could also see all the affection both from Antônio, who with his eagle eyes observes everything that happens in the restaurant and has the utmost zeal, and from Jan, who is concerned about welcoming all the customers personally. It was a great atmosphere that made us realize how much love and work make all the difference.
In fact, they are so competent that as well as winning several awards, such as being featured for two consecutive years in the Michelin Guide, one of the most coveted awards among restaurants, they were also chosen to cook for the Kings of Spain and their entourage during the Olympics in Rio. There's no denying the quality of the house.
I was already a fan before this super tasty talk, whenever I could I used to go to the restaurant in Jardim Botânico, which will be closed for the Olympics, now I've become even more of a fan!

Useful information:

Website : http://www.entretapas.com.br/

Botafogo
Rua Conde de Irajá, 115
Botafogo | Rio de Janeiro
Reservations: 21 2537 0673
botafogo@entretapas.com.br

Botanical Garden
Rua Saturnino de Brito, 84
Lagoa | Rio de Janeiro
Reservations: 21 3197 4227
jardim@entretapas.com.br