This place has a really cool vibe, friendly staff, tasty food and an interesting selection of craft…read morebeers. The clever branding and decor lend to a decidedly hipster feel, like many cafes in Sydney and Melbourne. The calamari is highly recommended and I agree. The chef generously provides two slices of bread for soaking up the delicious sauce. A must have entrada. The Ruaa salad is tasty and full of texture. This is a good spot to stop for lunch on a sunny São Paulo day.

Food was delicious. Cocktails great but not exceptional. Service is OK. It gets pretty packed on…read morefriday evenings.

I was curious to hear a new traditional Japanese restaurant had opened in Pinheiros. Set back…read morebehind Faria Lima, away from all the other restaurants I wasnt that surprised to find the restaurant fairly empty for a Friday night. The restaurant is cute with traditional decor to the naked eye. My Japanese friend says the Japanese kanji is poorly written which rang some alarm bells. The second alarm Bell ringing in my head is that all the chefs are Brazilian and fairly young. We ordered a few espitinhos and some other fried dishes. Sitting at the kitchen we were able to see the chefs being taught how to prepare the noodles and lamen so we decided to stay away from these dishes. The espitinhos, though satisfying lacked the special flavour you would expect from a traditional Japanese restaurant. The gyouzas again were satisfactory but nothing special for the surroundings. After spending 100 reais on only four dishes and a beer we left still hungry and after not completely satisfied and seeing the young chefs not completely knowledgeable on the other dishes we left disappointed. If you decide to try this place just stick to the espitinhos.

Marakuthai has a fun selection of caipirinhas - I had a limão cravo (mandarin lime) and my…read morecolleague chose spicy tangerine. We came here on the suggestion of a friend who raved about the restaurant's Thai/Brazilian fusion offerings. The atmosphere is just as lovely as described with its soft candlelight and lived-in touches like mismatched vintage plates. The food, however, is only okay. The mixed appetizer plate we ordered was fairly forgettable and the curries could use some spicing up. I would definitely return for drinks but probably not for dinner.

Fusions restaurants usually end up being confusion restaurants, and Marakuthai is definitely one…read moreconfused restaurant. Its menu is all over the world, with Thai, Brazilian, Indian, South American, and even Italian dishes, plus hand-crafted jewelry for sale, which are largely displayed on the first floor. Their décor is chaotic, but at the same time, kind of cool. None of the dishes really stood out: Ceviche Megusta: interesting addition of coconut milk, fish well seasoned; though sweet potato chips were so thin that they were breaking very easily, the best part of this dish were the chips! Escondidinho de costela: greasy and heavy, meh. Cubinhos de peixe com molho de curry verde: sauce tasted like Mae Ploy Green curry paste with coconut milk and sugar, cubes of fish were dry, tough, and overcooked. Service: ... hold on, I'm still waiting for my drink! No, not really, but service was extremely slow. Overall, I don't think I will be back too soon at this snazzy restaurant. Overpriced, slow service, this place feels like a Thai restaurant in a very small town, like in Laramie, that serves Thai, Chinese, Laos, you name it! (From the Oatmeal.com (http://theoatmeal.com/comics/asian_food)).