While I greatly enjoyed my time in Paraty, I was disappointed that there weren't any good local beaches within walking distance. You really need to take a boat out to the islands to get to anything nice but they do have a very basic local beach, Pontal Beach, where it's lined with a few seafood kiosks and they have lounge chairs for you to hang out in if the weather is nice. All the kiosks seem to offer the same type of food: seafood. Strangely the menu is geared towards food for 2 or more people - so they really kind of make you feel self-conscious when you are by yourself, which I was.
Since all of the kiosks looked the same, I picked the one that was most crowded and busy. I had a wait a bit for a table but it wasn't a big deal. It's a super casual beach side hut, so imagine plastic tables and stools and everyone is in some kind of beach wear. As I mentioned, the menu has a lot of "for 2" dishes and the English translation is very spotty, so I basically picked the only thing I saw "for 1" which was a fish stew ($11 USD) and I got a coconut juice ($3). While the beach is not pretty there at all, there is something nice about just chilling by water in a run down hut eating with the locals. The stew that came out was huge. It was a large filet (with bones) of some kind of mackerel like fish and it was covered in a sweet onion and tomato sauce. It was served with a side of white rice and a tomato manioc (cassava) paste that seems to come with every Brazilian dish. It was a pretty filling meal with all the starch and carbs going on. The type of my fish wasn't my absolute favorite since it was a bit on the oily and fishy side but I could tell that it probably something that they plucked out of the local waters. I had really wished that I could have gotten some of the other dishes like the shrimp and mixed seafood dishes but alas, this is the problem with being a solo eater. I was a huge fan of the coconut juice as it wasn't just a young coconut with a straw in it. It was like a coconut shake with lots of shredded coconut flakes in it. Overall, it was a peaceful meal that was very much off the beaten path but I would definitely recommend that you come with at least one other person so that you can try a bunch of other dishes. Total bill: $14 USD
Thai Brasil - Rua do Comércio, 308A - 4 Forks
There are weirdly enough 2 Thai places in Paraty, Thai Paraty and Thai Brasil. After being unable to find Thai Brasil on our 2nd day in Paraty (thanks a lot Google Maps), I was determined to locate and eat there. Turns out it was actually 5 mins from our hotel and fairly close to the center of town. It's a bright, colorful and adorable restaurant that I immediately loved.
At this point in the trip, Lav and I were so ready for some Asian food or food that had some kind of spice and flavor to it. So Thai food was right up our alley. I was surprised that the menu was pretty authentic and not some kind of Thai/Brazilian fusion deal. They had curries, pad thais, papaya salads and rolls but it was a pretty small menu with only about 6-7 dishes total. The waitstaff is super nice - they seem to all be young travelers who spoke at least 3-4 languages. We had no problems conversing with our waitress and she made sure to point out what was vegetarian for Lav. I opted for the spicy squid ($17 USD) and a frozen mint lemonade ($4 USD) and Lav got the pad thai with veggie and tofu.
The mint lemonade was quite re-freshing and it was nice to drink something that was loaded with cachaca. My dish was served with lots of large pieces of squid and stir fried vegetables and rice. If I was missing spice during this trip, this one dish made up for all of it. It was packed with flavor and spice but in a good way - I didn't feel like I couldn't eat the dish but it definitely cleared my sinuses. But it was exactly what I needed after days of eating grilled meat and fish stews. It tasted very similar to the type of Thai food I can get in NYC and dare I say, even parts of Thailand? I had a small bite of Lav's noodles and it wasn't quite as good as my dish - a little bit on the oily side with the noodles and it definitely didn't have the heat of my dish.
All in all, it was a great respite from all of the Italian/Brazilian type food I was eating and it was just a nice fun restaurant that lots of people were just relaxing and having a great time in. It a great place to check out if you need a bit of Asian kick to your trip.
Photo Credit: Zarpo.com.br
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