CT BRASSERIE: CELEBRITY CHEF CLAUDE TROISGROS’S RIODESIGN BARRA RESTAURANT
The Cost -$18 per person
The Atmosphere – –CT Brasserie is located in the RioDesign mall in Barra de Tijuca. The restaurant manages more of an intimate French feel than you would expect given that it is inside of a mall.
While many people shy away from eating at malls, in many countries shopping malls have some of the best food around. Often, malls contain outposts of the most popular eateries found elsewhere in a city. While exploring Rio de Janeiro, I decided to try CT Brasserie, one of the many restaurants owned by award-winning celebrity chef Claude Troisgros, a French ex-pat who has made Rio de Janeiro his home.
The Order – Brie Bombons, Couvert, Steak Frites, and a CT Burger.
The Good – The Bombons Crocante Ao Brie (Brie Bombons) are fried pieces of brie served with fruit and black pepper jam. There were 5 pieces to the order and they each came on a wooden stick, which made this appetizer easy to share. You can’t really go wrong with fried cheese dipped in a slightly spicy fruit jam and these little treats were a nice way to kick off the meal. The Couvert, a sampler-type plate that includes prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, sardela (a paste made with red bell peppers, sardines onions, garlic, basil, and other spices), salmon tartare, arugula, and crostini, was another nice appetizer. The salmon tartare was by far my favorite solo item but layering the sardela, salmon, and goat cheese onto the crostini was quite good.
The Okay – CT Brasserie’s version of Steak Frites (Steak Fritas) is a large piece of Angus beef served with fries, a salad, and bearnaise sauce. While the steak was cooked to my preference, the salad was actually my favorite part of the dish. The fries were just average (I would have preferred a skinnier fry) and the steak unfortunately required a lot of forceful chewing. The quality of the meat was subpar, especially for Brazilian standards. I also didn’t love the CT Burger which was made with a piece of Filet Mignon topped with tomato confit, onions and pickles. It came with fries and a green salad. The burger was good, but I was expecting more given that it was made with Filet Mignon and was listed as a specialty dish.
The Verdict – There aren’t many places in the world where $18 gets you a piece of Filet Mignon and an appetizer. However, while CT Brasserie is a value on paper, you can get much better meat in Rio de Janeiro at a similar price point. CT Brasserie isn’t a winner for me, but I do look forward to trying some of Chef Troisgros’s other, more recognized restaurants in the future.
CT Brasserie
riodesignbarra.com.br/gastronomia/ct-brasserie
Av. das Américas, 7777 - Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 22793-081, Brazil