AlwaysTraveling: Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo (São Paulo, Brazil)

Arthur Bovino — September 08, 2009

Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo

Restaurant: Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo
Address: Rua Haddock Lobo, 1408, São Paulo, SP, 01414-002, Brazil (salghadhinos and a cloth-covered basket on top filled with warm goodness. Rich, sunglass-wearing women rub elbows at the counter with anyone who has a few reais to spend on what are the best pão de queijo in the city, if not the country.

Part of what’s so good about this place is how fresh everything is— literally just from the oven. Every fifteen minutes, fresh pão de queijo is brought out front and placed in the basket, usually by Tiao, the ever-smiling baker with the white hat who is a local celebrity. The fresh pão don’t stay in the basket long, there’s usually a line of businessmen, children, tourists and housewives who have staked out the counter. Unlike typical renditions, these are not domed. Instead, they’re misshapen and elongated. And while they’re made with cassava flour according to traditional methods, they are very light and their texture is unique— more like a cross between pão de queijo and biscuits from the American South. They’re like warm, cheesy, slightly stretchy biscuits with a slight crunch on the outside.

The coxinha is just as addictive. Some have attributed the attraction to “its crunch, unlike any candy bar.” While it’s true that this delicate exterior is superb, it’s the center that’s truly amazing. If chicken were candy without being sweet, this would be it. The meat is delicately shredded, as if done by hand, and it’s moist, as though it was just cooked, battered and fried moments ago. Add your dash of hot sauce with each bite, down some espresso and don’t expect to eat anywhere else after because once you’ve tasted one of each, you’ll be gobbling up several more.

 

Coxinha at Pão de Queijo Haddock Lobo.

 

Pão de Queijo, fresh from the cloth-covered basket.