It was getaway day so I said my final goodbyes to Ipanema and made the relatively short trip back to the airport to my final destination of this whirlwind of a trip. I posted up at these cool chaise lounge type chairs by my gate and waited for my plane to arrive.

Looking around, I noticed a lot of passengers in either Eagles or Packers gear, which made sense given the football game happening in São Paulo on Friday. This even extended to when I was getting ready to board when someone started an Eagles chant saying more to come especially if they served booze on the flight (spoiler alert: they did not)

When I was checking my bag earlier the attendant noted that the exit row I was in didn’t recline so he moved me a row back although in a middle seat. However, when I got the exit row section, my previous seat had way more legroom despite the lack of a recline. Fortunately, the very nice (and very short) man next to me in the window seat, which had no seat in front of it, offered to switch with me. Crisis averted.

It was blessedly short and smooth flight. I made my way over to the Uber section, got in what wasn’t the snazzier of vehicles and made what tuned out to be 90 minute journey into the massive concrete jungle that is the largest city in South America.

I had been told by numerous people to be very careful in SP and this was echoed by my driver when got on what appeared to be the main road into the city “Now we roll our windows up” The now qualifier was a bit unnerving.

Still, as we made our way through the city, I was struck by the very impressive street art on the buildings, which seemed to be some sort of combo of official and very much not murals and drawings. We finally got off this seemingly endless, jam packed street and turned into the much more tranquil Itaim Bibi neighborhood, where my hotel was.

After a much needed siesta, I took an Uber to my main destination of this leg of my trip – the highly acclaimed restaurant Mani. Known for mixing ancestral ingredients with modern cooking techniques, the restaurant was visually quite stunning. I was given a great table in one of the main rooms and presented with the option of doing the tasting menu, ala carte or the hybrid option of a 3 course meal with a “surprise” amuse bouche.

That last option seemed to be the best fit for my current state both gut and wallet. I was told to select the first and second course now and dessert to be determined later. Soon some bread and a huge puffy entity was placed in front of me. My server explained that second item was a Brazilian street market staple – chips made with fermented cassava root. Normally fried, Mani’s version was baked. These were highly addictive, crunch and delicious.

A few minutes later my amuse arrived – chilled oyster with a marigold and clover leaf mignonette. I’m definitely not a fan of oysters but I was intrigued by that very unusual combo. I was very glad I did because it was fantastic – a mix of acidic and slightly sweet.

Next up was my first course – arrachaca and arrowroot gnocchi with a maicapu broth. This again was a very interesting mix of flavors and the gnocchis melted in my mouth. Really excellent.

Soon after was the main event – chargrilled octopus with chorizo rice and chickpeas. We were now squarely in Iberian territory, especially with the use of bomba rice, which impressed my server when I asked about it “Are you a chef??” The octopus had a nice smoky char on it, tender and delicious. The side hot plate of chorizo rice aka paella was equally as good. Mixing them together though was were the real magic was. A great main dish.

The dessert that immediately caught my attention was called The Egg. My server smiled and informed me that was one of their signature dishes. When it arrived, it did indeed look like an egg but it was actually egg nog ice cream surrounded by coconut foam and underneath were mini pieces of crunch coconuts. This was a home run – a fascinating mix of flavors and textures. A perfect way to conclude a very good dinner.

The night was still relatively young so I made the quick Uber (no walking at night in SP) to a hip wine bar called Bardega. The bar boasted a very large and diverse collection of wines by the glass, which are ordered via a card with 3 different pour options.

I selected a few of the smaller tasting sized pours – from a really not good rose from Alicante to a very good bonarda from Mendoza. I sipped my various wines and watched as the young and I assume wealthy bantered to and fro while the really terrible poppy EDM played in the background.

While I was enjoying the revelry, I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow so I headed back to the hotel, just in time to see the exciting end of the Ravens Chiefs game with a very enthusiastic Brazilian announcing duo.