By Sarah Brown, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In a busy world where convenience is the key, three restaurants in Rio de Janeiro have worked to make life easier for locals by offering a fully prepared Christmas dinner available to order with delivery included. The three restaurants offer a typical Brazilian spread, vegetarian choices and Portuguese delicacies respectively.
Fellini in Leblon is an upscale restaurant that is offering various options for the Christmas supper. Orders can be placed until December 15th by telephone or in the restaurant, with pick-ups available until 4PM Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Fellini is also serving the Christmas supper options in its restaurant on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve until 3PM and during normal working hours Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
The Fellini menu includes Christmas Rice (R$95 a kilo), Farofa (R $ 90 a kilo), Spiritual Cod (R$140 a kilo), turkey breast (R $ 140 a kilo) or Ham (R$140 a kilo). For desserts, order can be place for German Pie (R$120 for 10-12 slices), Giovanna cake (R$100 for 10-12 slices), Toucinho do Céu, a type of sweet sponge (R$130 for 10-12 slices) or the Brazilian classic, rabanadas (R$95 a kilo). There will also be Codfish cakes (R$98 a kilo).
Gustavo Fernandes, a resident in Rio, often goes to Fellini to have dinner. “It’s one of my favorite restaurants, the menu has lots of different options and the prices are good. It’s wonderful they will make a Christmas dinner. From my experience there, it’s going to be delicious. I would love to try it!”
For a vegetarian dinner, chefs Thiago Andrade and Bruno Moliné from BioCarioca will prepare a selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes to order for Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners. Among the options are apricot and chestnut couscous (R$120 per kilogram), quinoa salad with mango (R$145 per kilo), lentil cake with vegetables and spices (R$95 -for10 slices) and a variety of salted pies (R $ 120 for 10-12 slices), such as ricotta with caramelized onion, spring onion with mushrooms, carrot and raisins, pumpkin with buffalo, among others.
For desserts, they will serve traditional vegan pies such as banana with Brazil nuts (R$120 for 10-12 slices), pineapple with dried fruit and coconut (R$130 for 10-12 slices) and coconut with strawberry ($135 for 10-12 slices). There will also be vegan rabanadas (R$4.90 a unit), vegan brownie (price on request), vegan gingerbread biscuit (R$4.90 a pack of three units) and vegan panetones with dried fruit or chocolate (R$22.90 for a large one, R$11.90 for a small one).
Orders can be placed between December 10th and 20th for Christmas and until December 27th for New Year’s Eve. Pick-ups can be made between 11:30 AM and 2:30 PM on December 24th and 31st. The restaurant will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Restaurante Rampinha, a traditional eatery in Praça da Bandeira in Tijuca, will offer its Portuguese specialties to order for the Christmas dinner. A significant tradition of the holiday season, cod will be served in more than ten different versions, such as Lagareira (R$195 for two people) which is cod oven-roasted in olive oil with potatoes, broccoli, peppers, golden onions and olives.
Chef Caetano also created some special dishes for the end of the year celebrations. Among the options are Grilled Tuna Fillet (R $ 95 for two people), accompanied by broccoli, rice and sautéed potatoes in a port wine sauce, and Cod Salad (R$95 for two people) with chickpeas and tomato.
The dinner options will be delivered throughout Tijuca on December 24th until 6pm. For New Year’s Eve, deliveries will be made on the 31st until 6pm. Orders must be made at least one day in advance.
Fellini
Rua General Urquiza, Leblon – Tel: (21) 2511-3600 / (21)2274-2966
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 11:30 AM until 4PM and from 7:30 PM until 12AM. Saturday, Sunday and holidays, from 11:30 AM until 5PM and from 7PM until 12AM.
BioCarioca
Rua Xavier da Silveira, 28, Copacabana – Tel: 21- 2523-4820
Opening hours: Sunday and Monday, from 11:30 AM until 6PM. Tuesday to Saturday, from 11:30 AM until 11PM.
Rampinha
Av. Pça. da Bandeira, 201 – Praça da Bandeira, Tijuca – Tel: 21 2273-7647
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, from 11AM until 12AM.