Plate-by-plate of chef Ivan Ralston’s tasting menu (R$1,650) at three-Michelin-starred Tuju in São Paulo, Brazil, on Tuesday, July 28, 2026.
First stop: Tuju’s ground-floor garden, where “Totem o Homem Tatu” awaits, a zoomorphic wooden sculpture carved by Indigenous artist Stive Mehinako (Kulikyrda Mehinako).
Tomato and Mushroom | “Our take on the classic Bloody Mary, but not so ‘bloody’ as it is, is one of the non-alcoholic cocktail options on our menu. With tempered and clarified tomato juice, finished with mushroom salt made here.”
João Grilo | amburana cachaça, wild passion fruit, and coquinho-azedo.
Clothware made by Indigenous women, stitched with native birds, appears multiple times throughout the meal.
APPETIZERS | crab + hen + pimenta-de-cheiro (front), wagyu + cassava starch + wasabi (right), turnip + peanuts + garden leaves (left).
Second stop: Second-floor dining room, where Wind Season was in full effect.
View from our table.
Spirit-free pairing (R$ 600): UMBU and fig.
WEDGE CLAM | coconut + Beluga Caviar Cru (Tuber.spp).
“CUSCUZ PAULISTA” | sardine + corn + green tomato.
Spirit-free pairing: UVAIA and capers
OCTOPUS | sea urchin + spring onion.
Spirit-free pairing: GREEN MANGO and salt.
The evening’s first bread course.
Bread #1 “a halfway point between the brioche and the croissant.”
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE | potato leaf + Tulha cheese.
Spirit-free pairing: TOMATO and tarragon.
Spirit-free pairing: AÇAI-BERRY and cambuci.
Wine pairing: Familia Miras, Estate Pinot Noir, 2019 (Argentina – Patagônia), Pinot Noir.
MUSHROOM egg + pine nut.
Mushroom consomme.
The evening’s second bread course.
Olive oil and butter.
PITU | rice + green pepper.
Spirit-free pairing: BANANA and thyme.
PITU | rice + green pepper.
RED MULLET peas + trout roe.
Spirit-free pairing: GUAVA and ginger.
Wine pairing: Vivente, Chardonnay & Moscato Antigo, 2024 (Brazil – Rio Grande do Sul), Chardonnay, Moscato Antigo.
Spirit-free pairing: GRUMIXAMA and juniper.
Wine pairing: Arte da Vinha, Ephemero, 2022 (Brazil – Rio Grande do Sul), Nebbiolo.
PORK CHEEK | cassava + sauerkrat.
GRAPE | Brazilian nut + yuzu.
Spirit-free pairing: GREEN APPLE SODA
PERSIMMON | yogurt + honey.
Spirit-free pairing: BACURI and butia marmalade.
A peek inside the pastry kitchen.
Ripening persimmons.
Third stop: Third floor library lounge.
So. Many. Cookbooks. Tuju’s lounge inspired this report on LAist.
Lemongrass tea (R$30).
SWEETS | cupuaçu macaron with cacao miso, cocoa honey candy, bombons