Mäska: Nice New Restaurant in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro

Rua Joana Angélica, 159, Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22420-030; tel. +55 21 99997-0250

https://www.instagram.com/maskarestaurante/  

By J.P.

Mäska opened in June 2021 in an area with several other restaurants, in the Ipanema neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro. The kitchen is led by a young chef, Pedro Coronha, who in his mid-twenties joined Mäska, after spending two years in Europe. There, Coronha worked at Eleven, in Lisbon, Portugal, and at the iconic Noma, in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Eleven restaurant in Lisbon is led by chef Joachim Koerper, who last year celebrated 50 years of career. Pedro Coronha first met chef Koerper at Eleven Rio, a restaurant that was open between 2015 and 2017.

Some press articles in Brazil have characterized Mäska as Asian. Several items of the menu do include Asian touches, but there is a variety of influences. My friend S.L. and I had reservations for 12:30 pm on a mid-April Tuesday. The restaurant has a small dining room and a glass-walled veranda, where you also find a bar. We chose to be seated in the veranda.

Dining room

We were attracted by the lunch special, which included appetizer, main course, and dessert, for about US $15. The number of options within each category was limited, two for appetizer and dessert, three for main course. In any case, the choices seemed interesting, and we both went for the lunch special.  

Bar

   

As appetizer we had:

• Pão sourdough com pasta de azeitona (Sourdough bread with olive spread) (J.P.)

• Frango crocante, pó de nori, aioli de sriracha (Crispy chicken, nori powder, sriracha aioli) (S.L.). Nori is an edible seaweed species of red algae. Sriracha is a sauce usually made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt.

Sourdough bread with olive spread

Crispy chicken

My appetizer was not too creative, but it was good. S.L. liked the crispy chicken.

As main course we had:

• Strogonoff com arroz de furikake e fritas da casa (Stroganoff with furikake rice, and house fries) (J.P.). Furikake is a dry Japanese condiment to be sprinkled on top of cooked rice, vegetables, and fish. It typically consists of a mixture that includes dried fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, and salt. The stroganoff was unpretentious but quite good.

• Copa lombo, salada morna de acelga com abacaxi e bacon (Pork loin, warm salad with chard, pineapple, and bacon) (S.L.)

Stroganoff

Pork loin

As mentioned above, the lunch special menu included two dessert options. Again, we decided to make different choices:

•  Pudim de doce de leite e creme de café (Dulce de leche and coffee cream pudding) (J.P.)

• Crumble e sorvete de maçã, caramelo salgado e tuile de canela (Apple crumble and ice cream, salted caramel, and cinnamon tuile) (S.L.)

Dulce de leche pudding

Apple crumble and ice cream

Both desserts had nice presentations. Mine was again not very elaborate, but it was good.

The wine list included several Portuguese wines, and we chose one of the reds: Dão, Terras de Santar, 2017 (US $28). This wine is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, e Tinta Roriz. It is bottled by Caminhos Cruzados, a winery in Nelas, a town in the district of Viseu. The wine was good. Caminhos Cruzados produces wines under different labels. We ended the meal with a cup of espresso coffee.

Coffee

Overall, my experience at Mäska was positive. Very pleasant atmosphere, both in the dining room and in the veranda. Service was very friendly. Food was good and the lunch special menu, offered from Monday through Friday, is certainly an excellent value.

Dinner for one, including tax, tips, and US $14 of wine, added up to $40.