The articles written by the PÚBLICO Brasil team are written in the variant of the Portuguese language used in Brazil.
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The most famous Brazilian chef of the moment, who runs two restaurants in Paris and will open the third in the Louvre Museum, Alessandra Montagne will put down roots in Lisbon, Portugal. It is her responsibility to restructure the entire kitchen at Cícero Bristot, which operates in Campo de Ourique. From November onwards, the restaurant will offer a menu prepared by Alessandra, in an even more exclusive environment.
Instead of seating up to 40 people, the restaurant will only accommodate 22 customers. “We will be a more sophisticated space, for an international audience who, when in Lisbon, want to leave their home or hotel to eat at the restaurant”, says Paulo Dalla Nora, from Pernambuco, who opened Cícero in the Portuguese capital two years ago.
From the beginning, Círero Bristot sought to differentiate itself in the market, combining gastronomy and art. The restaurant houses a representative collection of the painter Cícero Dias, after whom the establishment was named. It also became a reference point for discussions about Brazil. “Now, we will have a third aspect, with even greater strength in gastronomy”, says Dalla Nora. He says that to give the house a new look, which will have Alessandra’s brand in the kitchen, 40 thousand euros (R$ 240 thousand) were invested.
“We changed all the furniture and all the crockery and added more works of art. We will create a lobby to welcome customers, who will have more comfort in the restaurant and personalized service”, he details. “We want to raise the standard in our restaurant and we chose to invite Alessandra to be at the forefront of this new stage. The two-year contract with the current chef expired, and this ended up facilitating the entire change process that is underway”, he adds. “We will not be a restaurant just for Brazilians, but for everyone who likes sophisticated and differentiated cuisine with touches of Brazil”, he adds.
Requirements
Contacts with Alessandra began in March this year. And, from the beginning, she was willing to face the challenge of having a space in Lisbon to develop the cuisine that won over the legendary chef Alain Ducasse. She did, however, make some demands. First, someone from Cícero spent three months in Paris learning all the techniques used in the Tempero restaurants, which gave rise to the Brazilian restaurant’s fame in France, and Nosso, recommended by the Michelin Guide. This role fell to Ana Carolina Silva, who recently graduated in gastronomy in Portugal and is Dalla Nora’s partner.
Alessandra, who is in Lisbon for the second time and will return before the inauguration of the new Cícero, will closely monitor the entire progress of the project every three months. “The new menu is practically ready”, assures the restaurant owner. “We will keep the carabineiro dish as the flagship, but with Alessandra’s touch and the curves of Cícero Dias’ painting”, he emphasizes. “I believe we will be one of the only establishments in Lisbon that will combine art with sophisticated gastronomy”, he points out.
Overcoming story
Alessandra Montagne, a black woman, was born in the Vidigal favela, in Rio de Janeiro, but grew up in the small town of Poté, in Minas Gerais. At 22, he moved to Paris without speaking a single word of French. Her friends noticed, however, the Brazilian’s talent for cooking and encouraged her to enter a gastronomy school.
Even without enough money, she decided to open a small restaurant, Tempero. In the early days, there was a lack of resources to purchase ingredients to make the dishes. The food, however, was so good that, little by little, the restaurant began to have queues of customers and attract a public willing to eat the delicacies prepared by Alessandra.
The Brazilian seasoning combined with French cuisine resulted in a perfect marriage. So much so that Alain Ducasse, who went to taste the food prepared by Alessandra, adopted her as a pupil. Recently, the Brazilian was responsible for the entire menu served at the Paris Olympics. The two restaurants in chef they employ 25 people and have an entirely ecological footprint, in which the word waste does not exist.
Whenever she can, she tends to remember that Paris city hall tried to fine her for having a compost bin (for disposing of vegetables, fruits and other organic elements that become fertilizer) inside the kitchen of her first restaurant. Years later, France created a law that obliges companies and residents of the country to dispose of organic matter in specific bins or compost at home.
