Hotel Portinari

Eating

Created by Chicô Gouvea, Hotel Portinari's top-floor restaurant offers modern Mediterranean cuisine in contemporary surroundings: bright orange-coloured banquettes, black laquered tables and a small outdoor terrace filled with bamboo, orchids and palm trees. The lunch/dinner menu features a selection of reasonably-priced dishes including seafood risotto with black sesame, Sicilian lemon and concasse of tomatoes, and chicken filet with Hunter sauce, roasted figs and wild rice. For desert try the Grand Marnier soufflé or the passion fruit crêpe with vanilla ice cream. The breakfast buffet (included in the room rate) offers fresh tropical fruits, ham, cheese, breads, pastries, fresh juices, yoghurt and cereals.

There's a bar downstairs in the lobby and room service is available 24 hours a day, but most likely you'll want to go out on the town and the staff can recommend the best local eateries. We loved the nearby Cafe Felice, which serves great cocktails, pastas, gourmet sandwiches and the best ice-cream in town to a hip Carioca crowd.