Monday, November 9, 2009

Ping Pong (Itaim Bibi)

Ping Pong
Rua Lopes Neto, 15
Itaim Bibi

I'd been wanting to try out this dim sum restaurant for while...ever since I read a review of it on Alexandra Forbes' blog, Brazil for Insiders. Finally, last weekend, some friends and I finally met for a late lunch at the new eatery.

The menu is fun...especially the drinks. With ingredients like lemongrass and goji berries, the non-alcoholic drinks are original and refreshing. On a hot day, they're perfect. They also have "flowering" teas and a menu of party-named cocktails. It would be a shame to order water or Coke in this place!

We were starving when we sat down, so we ordered some wasabi peas and candied pecans to start. We were all being very polite with how much we took, but I think each of us could have eaten the entire bowls all alone!

But on to the dumplings...we each chose two dishes and shared them among the four of us. Our favorites were the seafood sticky rice, the pork shu mai, prawn toast, and the grilled pork. The only problem we had was that each order came with only 3 "unidades", or pieces. So, we suggest only bringing 2 friends with you to lunch. (Or some multiple of 3!) Needless to say, we ordered more when the first round was done. The meal was so tasty...flavors you don't get to eat everywhere in Brasil.

The restaurant itself is chic and beautiful...very modern and sleek. The chairs are actually stools, and they come with a little shelf underneath on which to put your purse. The service was quick and friendly. You can even sit at the bar and watch the chefs at work.

My only gripe is that it is a bit pricey...we each spent about $50 for lunch...not THAT bad, but the portions are small and you'll want to eat a lot! The waiter suggested to order 4-5 dishes per person...and if you're hungry, that's not a bad suggestion.

We left the restaurant talking about how we would come back soon. :)

No comments:

Post a Comment