D.O.M. — Restaurant in Região Imediata de São Paulo

MAXIMUS MENU MINIMUS TASTE

'Hospital Food'; that's the exact term stands for what they serve at this restaurant.

My general criticism is for the taste of whole menu, without considering a specific plate. I am not saying that i didn't like taste of food. There is no taste to like or dislike. How Bland. Bland. Bland. Collecting traditional and local ingredients and cooking straightforward shouldn't be enough to call someone a 'Michelin Star Chef'. There is no reflection of cooking talent or additional experience in plates.

There is a lot usage of local roots like tapioca, taro and manioc which are tasteless. There is only one taste in each and every dish which dominates, there is no combination of tastes. Second criticism is about the service. There are finger foods in most plates. Some sensitive guests had to go to the washroom to wash their hands after each plate. Napkin is not enough. Hot wet towel is the best in that case. Some waiters know English but the waitress...shouldn't be considered as she can speak in English. Before going into menu details, it is fair to emphasize the positive outcomes of my experience. I am very glad Brazilian vanilla is introduced to me. It is an exception i will remember out of here. Manioc cream is also something new for me. That's it. Really. Fooled by the cover of the book. It fails telling the culinary(!) -sorry, there is no cuisine here- story-telling of Brazil but very successful in marketing. If you just want to check one of the restaurants in your list, you won't miss anything just by having the lunch menu. Get an executive menu and a drink, have fun :) which is less than 100 Rials. Whereas Maximus Menu is 700 Rials without pairing and i 'm telling whole story here. I wish someone had recommended it here and helped us. I am sceptical about the palates and intentions who rate this restaurant highly. I find many starred reviews here as a part of marketing strategy. Don't be fooled by all fancy names in the menu. No taste at all. No.6, No. 9 and a scoop of mate ice cream for me.

1-Amazonian Ant and Cachaça; how logical can it be to have alcohol as a starter which tingles your palate and decreases upcoming tastes. Anyway you can have, no taste is coming. I won't write about the absurdism of eating a single ant. 2-Tapioca, langoustine and coconut; I couldn't eat tapioca cracker which is a kind of supermarket snacks in South East Asia, but this one doesnt have any taste. 3-Yanomami mushrooms salad; buy one pocket of dried mushrooms from the market, soak them in water, then stir in olive oil and add any herbs, spices depending on your region and preference. That's it. No news. 4-Cashew, scallops and marrow; event is marrow here. 5-Heart of palm, vatapa, coconut milk and blue taro; all i can taste is coconut milk. 6-Pirarucu, paçoca and fish broth; this is the first plate out of first six plates. Not the best, but tasty fish broth. Sweet banana in the crumble. I like whole plate. 7-Manioc, the Brazilian root; different versions of manioc. Manioc is the staple of Maximus Menu. You can't imagine in how many ways he can utilise such a tasteless and cheap ingredient. My favourite is manioc cream. An additinal plate pairs with manioc; pickled ocra, garlic pate and açai. I haven't come accross such a tasteless açai version in my life. 8-Duck in tucupi sauce; this is the second plate in eight plates that i can count. Fish broth was better. 9-Hump steak, baroa potato and wild Brazilian vanilla; this one carries the honor of whole menu. Potato puree is delicious and Brazilian vanilla is the star of all. 10-Aligot with toffe; how dare it is at the end of the menu. Is it a masterpiece? It is just a side dish or hot starter. Toffe is made of vanilla, tasted in the previous plate. 11-Brazilian bee honey ice cream, fermented honey and pollen; nothing to say. 12-Tapioca and rapadura mochi and mate herb ice cream; again tapioca but why?! Because he has to put something in the plate. Mate ice cream is the event here.

This is Brazil! You must serve the...

We visited D.O.M last night and we were disappointed with the experience. I emailed them to reconfirm vegetarian menu and I did not receive a response. We hoped that based on the reservation page it seems it would be available. Upon arrival, we were offered an ant as vegetarians as a welcome dish. We declined and said we are vegetarians. the waiter asked us so you won’t try it? No, because we are vegetarian. They did not notice this on the booking and I feel they should have known and reconfirmed upon arrival.

Upon the first dish, they presented fish eggs to us and we had to say something. I feel for a 2 Michelin star restaurant this is sloppy. It did not give me the confidence that the remainder of the meal would be vegetarian.

We were not presented a menu upfront which I think would be better because a lot of the ingredients are unknown and it can be hard to understand.

Fortunately the rest of the dishes did not have meat/fish/chicken. However the food was very acidic, many of the dishes I did not finish and sent back. I have been to many Michelin star restaurants and this was probably the worst one I have been to as a vegetarian. I am sure the meat tasting menu is outstanding. However the dishes we were served were not balanced, confusing and not clear what the star of the dish was. It did not have cohesiveness across the tasting menu. The desserts were not sweet. The white mold was so sweet, I could not eat this at all and it was meant to be a palette cleanser. The portions are very big for 12 courses.

The waiting staff were attentive and the wine pairings were great. However I do have to admit, the cutlery changes were really odd. Sometimes we were given a knife, fork and spoon and it is a soup. I think this is something to consider for a fine dining experience.

We did raise our concerns and they did offer a discount(this was not the intention to achieve) however we felt it was important to pass the feedback on.

The atmosphere was bizarre, very quiet. There was music but it was so quiet you couldn’t hear it. In addition the a/c was so loud, it was a massive distraction.

We visited on our 1 year anniversary which I also mentioned upon booking and they did not recognise this either. If you don’t read the comments from the booking system, don’t provide an option.

I would not return here any time soon as...

Having eagerly anticipated a meal at what is supposed to be a two-star Michelin restaurant, I was met with the kind of disappointment that can only come from high expectations crushed under the weight of mediocrity.

Ambiance: Far from elegant or refined, the dining room felt like an uninspired afterthought. There was an odd mix of clashing décor—cheap plastic flowers on the tables, dim lighting that was more dreary than romantic, and uncomfortable seating. The overall atmosphere lacked any sense of occasion or finesse, more akin to a roadside diner than a Michelin-starred destination.

Service: The service was perhaps the most glaring misstep of the evening. The waitstaff appeared disengaged, offering little attentiveness or knowledge of the menu. Requests for wine pairings were met with blank stares, and it took what felt like an eternity for courses to arrive. When they did, the plates were presented carelessly, devoid of the ceremony and precision one would expect from such an establishment.

Food: Unfortunately, the food followed suit. The dishes lacked cohesion, innovation, and, most tragically, flavor. The amuse-bouche, supposedly a delightful preview of what was to come, tasted like a bland afterthought. The main courses fared no better—overcooked fish with rubbery texture, sauces that were either too salty or lacking any depth, and vegetables that could have been straight from a frozen bag.

The pièce de résistance was the dessert—a soggy, uninspired mess of what seemed to be a half-hearted attempt at modern pastry. It was neither artful nor indulgent and tasted like something you’d expect from a chain bakery.

Price: For the astronomical price, the experience bordered on robbery. When you pay two-star Michelin prices, you expect a culinary journey; this was more like a roadside detour with potholes.

Final Thoughts: How this restaurant achieved two Michelin stars is beyond me. It lacked the passion, creativity, and refinement that should define such an accolade. I left wondering whether the reviewers had dined at a completely different restaurant. In a sea of culinary brilliance, this place felt like a shipwreck. Save your time, palate, and money for somewhere that actually...