History and Culture
A sensory experience for those who enjoy eating well
Turning the meal into a sensory experience, arousing curiosity, presenting new flavors to those who like to eat well. Surprising. These are the main objectives of Manga Restaurant. The dishes will stay in your imaginary for some time, for sure. The creativity in the proposals, the respect for seasonality, the high quality ingredients, whether local, national or imported, provide a true adventure to your palate. A combination of contemporary techniques, respect for food and freedom to create.
From the herbs harvested earlier in the day, part of them coming from the garden on the building terrace, to the cherries from the family farm in Ravensburg, Germany, everything connects until the food reaches the table, full of affection and attention. Much of the food comes from organic city fairs like the ones that happen at UFBA and at Parque da Cidade. Manga Restaurant prizes the quality foods, organic foods, and processes made in the house, like the art of the charcuterie with salamis and other sausages. The restaurant produces breads and ice creams, in addition to its own dry-matured meats.
Katrin and Dante Bassi. Herbs harvested from the garden on the building terrace. Photo: Amanda Oliveira
But let’s start from the beginning. This gastronomic experience reflects the life and dreams of the couple of cooks Katrin and Dante Bassi. She was born in Germany and he was born in Salvador. With souls belonging to the world, they set up a complete tasting menu. The menu is a surprise, and it’s tailored to each customer’s tastes and restrictions – Yes! By making a reservation, you can tell what you can or can not eat such as gluten, lactose and the like. Katrin and Dante went through great professional experiences and met while working at D.O.M. (chef Alex Atala’s restaurant) in São Paulo, he as a sous chef and she as a menu chef. It is from there also the partnership with the Bahian Pedro Mesquita, today Manga’s sous chef.
The tasting menu
One of the dishes that makes people curious is the chicken feet fried with avocado and paprika cream, which takes approximately 12 hours to be ready. Photo: Amanda Oliveira.
Manga Restaurant has authorial creations that reflect the experiences of both owners in renowned restaurants, having as main suggestion a shared tasting menu, with individual version option. They offer a fixed price option, in which the customer chooses between two or three starters; two or three main courses; and two or three dessert options.
More, more and more
Restaurante Manga. Rio Vermelho, Salvador, Bahia. Photo: Amanda Oliveira.
The warmth continues in the decoration with a cozy, casual and relaxed atmosphere, in a three-floor house overlooking the sea. An interesting factor is that the photos on the walls are custom-made for the restaurant, made by architect David Frauenkron, Katrin’s brother-in-law and passionate about photography. They report the daily life of the neighborhood where Manga Restaurant is located, which is Rio Vermelho. There is also a photo of the couple’s eldest son, Peter, playing in the sands of Moreré (BA) and one of Katrin’s father on a ladder, picking cherries from a tree on his farm in Germany.
Casual and relaxed atmosphere: Katrin’s father on a ladder, picking cherries from a tree on his farm in Germany. Photo: Amanda Oliveira.
Another detail we can not fail to mention is that all the ceramics used in the house are made exclusively for Manga, a work by Ana Ramalho, from Cantinho de Barro. They took about a year to be ready, respecting the curing time, changing colors from creation to creation, making everything very harmonious.
Happy hour. A cocktail menu signed by renowned bartender from São Paulo, Jean Ponce. Photo: Amanda Oliveira
But before all, as soon as you arrive at Manga Restaurant, still downstairs, between a conversation and another, it’s worth to spend some time at the bar or even go for a happy hour. There are draft and handmade beers made in Bahia, wine list and a menu of foods with a focus on charcuterie, besides, of course, a cocktail menu signed by renowned bartender from São Paulo, Jean Ponce, owner of Guarita Bar in São Paulo.
Service
Manga Restaurant
Address: Rua Professora Almerinda Dultra, 40, Rio Vermelho – Salvador.
Reference: in front of the Church of Our Lady of Santana
Opening hours:
Monday and Tuesday it’s closed
Wednesday and Thursday: from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (bar) / from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. (restaurant)
Friday and Saturday (for lunch): from 12 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday (at night): from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. (bar) / from 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. (restaurant)
Sunday (for lunch): from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Subtitles:
n°1 – Dehydrated cabbage with algae merengue.
nº2 – The in-house made breads have natural fermentation, served with ricotta also made in the house.
nº3 – Chicken tea, a rustic chicken broth, comes with a bouquet of herbs harvested from the garden.
nº4 – One of the dishes that makes people curious is the chicken feet fried with avocado and paprika cream, which takes approximately 12 hours to be ready.
nº5 – Pre dessert, a transition between salty and sweet, making your palate smooth for the upcoming surprises. Buffalo mozzarella ice cream with dry cherry tomatoes and balsamic.
nº 6 – For the petit four there is a cherry that “breaks” in the mouth, revealing an ice cream that looks like the real fruit.
nº 7 – Madeleine come inside a cross-banded wooden box, a treat.
nº8 – The coffee with chocolate charlot and the cupuaçu tartlet are an exception.
We’ve prepared a perfect playlist for this experience. Listen now!
