Seafood at Sobrenatural

• Review
• Monday, September 29, 2008

With its colourful façade, decked out to resemble the famous Santa Teresa tram, Sobrenatural is not easily missed. A statue of a seafood-brandishing Bahian woman also catches the eye, and provides a clue as to the nature of the menu. Seafood is readily available across Rio, but rarely is it better than that on offer at Sobrenatural. Inside, the exposed brick walls, colourful artwork and shrines to Yemanja, the goodess of the sea in the Afro-Brazilian Candomble religion,make for a wonderfully relaxed dining experience. When I visited, a tableful of local musicians provided the perfect musical accompaniment to a delicious meal. Main dishes, such as the tuna steak, are easily enough for two, and come with tasty side dishes such as brocolli rice, roughly mashed potatoes, and beautifully rich sauces. Between three of us, we ordered one main meal (the afore-mentioned tuna steak), along with a palm heart salad and an extra side dish of potatoes cooked with yogurt, herbs and parmesan. There was a choice of sauces – shrimp, capers or mushroom, and we opted for the latter. A wise choice, as this rich, shiitake-packed sauce was absolutely delicous. Prices aren’t cheap – the salad alone was R$20, but the quality is very high – the palm hearts were plentiful and creamy to the the taste, and the side dishes were generous enough to serve as mains in themselves – this may be a seafood restaurant, but even strict vegetarians will find something to tempt them here. You’ll find Sobrenatural at Rua Almirante Alexandrino 432, Santa Teresa. The bonde (tram) rattles right past – jump off at Largo do Guimaraes a couple of minutes further up the road.