Chef Bel Coelho is back, with the opening of Dui restaurant in São Paulo

At last, chef Bel Coelho’s eagerly awaited new restaurant, called Dui, has opened. The official opening date? July 14, Bastille Day. But they’re already running the place at a fast clip and it’s the most sought-after reservation in town.

Chef Coelho made her name when she left Alex Atala’s D.O.M. and launched her solo career at Sabuji restaurant, and almost immediately began winning all sorts of awards. She's only 30 but has been in the business for 13 years, and worked under the formidable Roca brothers at El Celler de Can Roca, the 2-Michelin star in Girona, Spain. Since then, her career had hit a lull, and her comeback has been highly anticipated.

Here's a photo of her potato cream with Serrano ham crisp:





I read in O Estado de São Paulo newspaper that she serves two delicious desserts there. One is the brownie with Brazil nuts and banana ice cream; another are figs roasted in a wood-burning oven and served with vanilla cream and a mixture of orange juice and lemongrass.

According to the paper, it has a main restaurant area with a menu focusing on comfort food, plus a tapas bar serving modern finger food and drinks. In September she’ll unveil a little restaurant-within-a-restaurant called Clandestino, where she’ll serve up tasting menus to a maximum of 15 guests.

DUÍ - Al. Franca, 1590, tel.:2649-7952

And more São Paulo dining on this blog:

• Index of all the restaurants in Itaim, in alphabetical order
• Kinoshita, the best Japanese restaurant in São Paulo
  
• New restaurants, February 09: Dalva e Dito, Millesapori, Vito, Na Cozinha, Arturito
• A review of my first lunch at Vito, owned by chef André Mifano
  
• Maní, one of São Paulo's best restaurants
• Where to eat Brazilian food: Maní, Brasil a Gosto, Capim Santo, D.O.M., Dalva e Dito
  
• Quintal do Bráz: São Paulo's best pizza
• Dui, Bel Coelho's new restaurant, opens in May in the Jardins district
• Second outpost of P.J.Clarke's set to open in the Jardins district
• Tappo Trattoria, one of São Paulo's top Italian restaurants
• Gaston Acurio is set to open a La Mar Cevicheria in São Paulo
• Forneria San Paolo in the Daslu megastore: a disappointment
• La Casserole, classic French Bistro in the Old Downtown (Centro)
• Aizomê, voted by Veja São Paulo's dining guide best Japanese in town

Alex Atala:

• Alex Atala serves Amazonian ingredients to Spanish chefs at D.O.M.
• Interview with chef Alex Atala
• Dalva e Dito, Alex Atala's new restaurants in the Jardins district
• Full report of my lunch at Dalva e Dito, with photos
  

Coffee Shops, Pastry Shops, snacks:

• Nespresso boutique, Jardins

Japanese restaurants:

• Kinoshita, my favourite Japanese restaurant in São Paulo
• A dish-by-dish report on Kinoshita's tasting menu, with photos
  
• The best traditional (old-style) Japanese restaurants in São Paulo
• Jun Sakamoto, the Masa of Brazil
• Aizomê, voted by Veja São Paulo's dining guide best Japanese in town

Chef Bel Coelho opens new restaurant in São Paulo

Bel Coelho is a young talent who made a name for herself when she opened Sabuji restaurant, in São Paulo - it quickly garnered several awards and pushed her to the forefront of the city's gastronomic scene. This Alex Atala protegée, who's classically trained but aligns herself with the tecnoemotional movement as well, hasn't found her stride ever since she left Sabuji to open a Brazilian restaurant in London which never took off.

Now, after a puzzling stint as the chef at São Paulo's Buddha Bar outpost, she's back. She's opening in May a new restaurant called Dui (pictured above) in the Jardins district. Less ambitious and less expensive than Sabuji ever was, Dui aims to be a casual place with a tapas-like menu, albeit with a contemporary twist. There will be an extensive wine by-the-glass list and heavy Spanish influence throughout.