Minimok Ipanema — Restaurant in Região Geográfica Imediata do Rio de Janeiro

Visited in July 2024. Brazil. Rio de Janeiro.

We stumbled upon Minimok based on those glowing Google reviews, craving some authentic Asian flavors. This place is small, I'm talking maybe 5-7 tables tops. The decor is simple, nothing fancy.

Food:

The menu's pretty extensive, so we decided to sample a few appetizers. The portions are on the smaller side, which is typical for Asian cuisine. We started with the salmon and tuna tartare, and that was a hit. The tuna had a real nice truffle flavor, and the salmon was a touch saltier than I'd prefer, but still tasty. Next up was the octopus tentacle with edamame bean puree. The first one we got was kinda rubbery and impossible to eat. But they remade it for us, and they nailed it the second time. The teriyaki sauce was perfect. We also tried the tuna sushi with foie gras, but the foie gras flavor was subtle, almost undetectable. It was more like a mousse with a hint of foie gras, not the real deal. We also went with the cray fish, basically a lobster tail. It was cooked perfectly, juicy meat, nice and tender. The spices were spot-on.

Service:

The service was decent, these guys didn't speak much English. But we got by using hand gestures and, thankfully, the menu had pictures - that's always a lifesaver. The food came out quick, no complaints there.

In conclusion:

Overall, Minimok's a pretty cute little Asian spot with some seriously good appetizers. If you're lookin' for some Asian grub, especially rolls and sushi, this is the...

Update April 2019 - Congratulations on getting into the Michelin Guide!!!!

A really good dining experience. Is it possible to expect a high quality Japanese izakaya experience in Brazil? I'm sold after tonight's tasting selection.

We started with drinks all-around. Passionfruit sake-rinha, beers on ice (in a champagne pot, no less) sake in a beautiful wooden box.

Slow start with the crispy shrimp deep-fried dumplings. Then we're off to the races with the braised sliced octopus served on top of freshly puree'd edamame.

Thereafter the dishes, the slide kinmedai and the other local Lily fish turn cartwheels in my mouth. The warm unagi sushi never fails to impress, it is exactly how well eel should be, warm, bitingly soft, the sweet salty kabayaki sauce all covering all it's delicious exterior.

The next two are probably the best: salmon wrap sushi, ikura (salmon roe) with a quail's egg yolk, and the salmon belly sashimi. One bite and I'm captured, enthralled and stuck.

The next drink is a pineapple sake-rinha and it blows the passionfruit one out of the water. And last but not least, the dessert is a...

Traumatizing experience with the ordering system: think of this as a russian scam. They won’t let you go until you pay insane amount, different to the menu price bc of some weird billing system without saying anything prior. they gave us a list of sushis and when we wanted to order more or something different they wanted us to pay different prices which would bill 600 reais. We were so confused until we realized THE LIST THEY GIVE YOU IS A All YOU CAN EAT AND IS PER PERSON. IF YOU GET something different from rolls, billing system changes to a per unit which is insanely expensive 40 reais per piece around. The piece of paper you get at the beginning is a all you can eat 158 reais worth is you eat too little they would charge you from menu. Ruined my night, im happy i got out im going for acai and asking for a written bill of what im ordering before they give...