Itacoa, chef Rafael Gomes' Sentier restaurant

Chef Rafael Gomes has opened his first restaurant, Itacoa, in the 2nd arrondissement. On the menu are tasty dishes, tinged with the chef's Brazilian influences and prepared with fresh, healthy, local produce.

Lovers of good food and cuisine from other parts of the world, you must visit Itacoa on rue Saint-Denis, Rafael Gomes ' first restaurant under his own name.

After his stint at Grand Coeur, the Brazilian chef who is currently stuck in Brazil due to the health crisis - the country where he also won the 2021 edition of Masterchef - has decided to open his own restaurant!

At Itacoa, you can enjoy healthy, fresh, local and seasonal produce at any time of day: wild fish, quality meat and poultry, all from small-scale producers and responsible fishing. So let us unveil Rafael Gomes' generous, flavorful cuisine.

Once you've entered this pretty restaurant, all wood, tiles and plants, you smell the aromas wafting from the open kitchen, or opt for the terrace overlooking Rue Saint-Denis, and get down to reading the menu. And let's face it, every single dish on the menu has its charms to make you want to choose it.

For a bite to eat with friends, we start with octopus arancini with ginger (9€), croquettes of pig's loin confit (9€) and Pao de Queijo (8€), a Brazilian specialty made with cheese and chorizo. A gourmet trio that whets our appetite for what's to come, and which we accompany with a well-measured Spritz in fine weather.

Next up, for starters, one of the chef's signature dishes, gambas mille-feuilles (15€), made with thinly sliced radish layered alternately with marinated gambas, black garlic and a little bottarga to spice things up. Fresh and original, perfect for the summer season. We also fall for the basket of Pugliese Stracciatella (14€), a pretty aumônière with beautiful Datterino tomatoes and a salsa verde with fine herbs.

But it's the grilled octopus (14€) that wins everyone over. Cooked to perfection, it is accompanied here by a Romanesco sauce, smoked potatoes and a corn crumble reminiscent of Chef Gomes' origins. A success.

The feast continues with the main courses: Grana Padano risotto, prawns and bisque (€26)? Or why not try the guinea fowl on today's menu? Finally, we fall for the gnocchi alla Cacio e Pépé (21€), melting gnocchi topped with pine nuts, peas for greenness and crunch, Stracciatella and candied Datterino tomatoes. A generous , gourmet dish, just the way we like it.

The veal breast at Café Lecase (24€) also drew rave reviews from the public (our taste buds). The chef's signature dish is accompanied by a stew of coconut beans, garlic, spring onions and a full-bodied jus. The meat is truly tender.

To round off this lunch, of course, we move on to desserts, with original ice creams (with cardamom, excellent!), turbinated on the premises, which is rare enough to be worth mentioning, and a dessert which, in its name, didn't make us dream, but which won us over once it was brought to the table: a Valrhona Opalys white chocolate cream (8€) delicately enhanced by a sorbet and a tangy passion fruit coulis.

Itacoa is worth stopping for!

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.