Ninon is French, Lucas is Brazilian and they go together like natural wine and wood-fired grills. After working in Joël Robouchon’s kitchen and for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lucas Baur de Campos decided to open his own restaurant with partner, Ninon. The route to success was complex but after two years, they opened Brutos in early 2017, a few steps from square Gardette near Pere Lachaise cemetery.
The 11th arrondissement has become quite the foodie area and the couple felt that Brutos would flourish nicely, what with its shabby-chic yet refined edge. The dishes are all in Spanish and so the better for it – sweetbreads and pork belly sound better in another language. Here’s the trick at Brutos: share everything and taste with your eyes closed. To start, we tried cassava-style patatas bravas and smoked beef croquettas with an incredible spicy guava sauce, before moving onto the staple natural wines and barbecue.
They use an open pit barbecue style which is popular in Southern Brazil and varies the cooking of the meet depending on whether its on the edge, at the centre or the end. The result is a beautifully tender rib steak, dusted with cassava flour and a cachaça sauce. Alongside, one of the few veggie dishes: a turnip and cooked beetroot salad that will entice even the haters of these humble roots. To drink, a Gamay red and a fruity Coste Fere from Julien Peyras. The final bill is not cheap but it was worth every penny. Not a single foot was put wrong in the kitchen or with the service on opening night.
TRANSLATION: MEGAN CARNEGIE