Given the sizeable community with Japanese roots, and also a large Korean group which have both lived in São Paulo for many decades, it’s no surprise this sprawling city is familiar with Asian flavours, and totally loving it. The newly opened Santokki restaurant, situated in the tony neighbourhood of Vila Madalena, takes it all up a notch, offering a cuisine that’s intentionally pan-Asian, incorporating the continent’s best flavours and dishes in a new audacious culinary concept, while pairing it with a contemporary design-led setting along the way. The initiative, launched by husband-and-wife hospitality entrepreneurs and chefs Júlia Tricate and Gabriel Coelho, also includes a design-led setting created by local practice Tadu Arquitetura.
Santokki occupies an elongated, 166 sqm. (1,787 sq.ft.) unit inside a low-rise concrete structure built on fairly sloped terrain. Given its pan-Asian culinary format, ample cues were taken from architectural approaches from various parts of the world, shifting from the city’s very own Chinatown to Seoul, then via Tokyo and Beijing, back to São Paulo. Before entering the premises, guests traverse Santokki‘s outdoor terrace with seating which signals the restaurant’s industrial aesthetic. Inside, near the entrance, a shop is situated, brimming with a wide variety of Asian food products, beverages and an assorted selection of related goods. Demarcated by industrial strip curtain in striking orange, a small foyer follows.
Here, furnished with two-seater and four-seater tables invites guests to indulge in bites from the menu that isn’t prepared on grills. When navigating further, a bar can be found, flanked by a long row of communal tables with built-in grills and divided by wood and steel panels with portholes. An open kitchen allows guests ample peeks of all the action happening there. At the far end, in a semi-secluded nook with ample views of the neighbourhood, a circular table with built-in grill is situated. Mind you, all furnishings are custom-made, and perfectly match the chosen industrial aesthetic of concrete blocks, cement flooring, and exposed metal conduits. As said, Santokki is a pan-Asian restaurant, and features a wide range of tasty bites and dishes from across this vast continent. © superfuture
Santokki
Rua Aspicuelta 153 (Vila Madalena)
SP 05433-010 São Paulo
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