Ré Restaurante Dona Suzana Salvador

I landed in Salvador, Bahia, craving for some “Moqueca” and there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to try it at @donasuzanarerestaurante , in the Solar do Unhão Community, where the legendary Dona Suzana prepares one of the very best in town.

The dish, a result of the combination of Brazil’s indigenous, african and portuguese heritages (the african influence being more prominent in the version made in Bahia), consists of a thick fish and seafood stew, made with coconut milk, “dendê” oil, onions, tomatoes, cilantro and other spices. The charismatic Dona Suzana masters the art of seasoning her “Moqueca” and cooking the seafood caught daily by her husband Antonio to perfection.

Upon arrival at @solardounhão, I invited my taxi driver, Iraílton, to lunch with me. We parked the taxi, walked our way into the community and after a few turns and stairs, found this stunning place.

The small kitchen is inside, but tables are on a narrow outside corridor with a unique view of the Todos-os-Santos bay. And there is nothing quite like an ocean view for lunch. Except when lunch is THAT good.

Iraílton and I had a great time savoring the special plate in front of us, which is supposed to be shared by 2 but could have easily fed a third person. He was amazed at how I found such an amazing place in his hometown that he’d never heard about and was really intrigued about my passion for local restaurants serving authentic food.

We talked about soccer and laughed a lot, while having one too many beers. Halfway through the meal, he called his wife to say that he was coming home early as he could not keep driving for the day.

After we were finished, he left me at my hotel where I slept like a baby dreaming about coming back soon to try some other flavors of this friendly and peaceful community where gastronomy has been an important tool of empowerment and social transformation.

(Versão em Português nos Comentários)

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