Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Michael S. Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier.

On Tuesday August 8, 2017, at around 9:15 am, I’m freshly awoken with 1st coffee in hand. The phone rings, and I’m being pressed to make a quick decision on the fly, all based upon the compelling advice of persuasive local Rio tour guide Lauren Quinn. On the phone, she’s telling me I gotta take Tom’s Foodie Tour while here in Rio. And it’s offered today at 10 am. So I scrambled to get ready, then Ubered to the meeting spot, running uncharacteristically about 20 minutes late. Typically I dig into reviews galore before spending my hard earned $$, but this time I just took, what will prove to be, excellent advice, and just did it.

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Who is Tom?? Tom Le Mesurier arrived in Rio for the first time in 2010 and expected to stay for a week or two at the most. Seven years later he’s still there so you could say that he was seduced by this magical city. On arrival, Tom decided to leave behind his old career in IT (he had worked as a programmer for 10 years in London) and made a new life and career for himself in South America’s coolest city. Today he works as a freelance food and travel writer, making regular contributions to Lonely Planet and other travel guides, as well as running culinary walking tours. During our tour with Tom we spoke of the importance of (excellent) reviews, and WOW, Tom’s killing it on Trip Advisor. Bravo Tom!
Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier
So what’s his tour all about? “Eat Rio Food Tours take small groups of guests walking through the streets of Rio. The tours last 5-6 hours and include a visit to a vibrant street market, an exotic fruit tasting, street food dishes, locally brewed Brazilian beers, potent caipirinhas, weird and wonderful Amazonian food and plenty more besides.
Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier
In order to build up an appetite, guests also explore interesting local landmarks and street art along the way. The tour is very informal – Tom and his guests chat as they stroll. And as the Lonely Planet writer responsible for Rio, “Tom gives his guests tips and recommendations on the best places to eat, drink and have fun.” We encountered many incredible street art murals and graffiti art, and if you love all that, which I do, then connect with Nina for her Rio Street Art Tour.  (Check out what happened to us during Nina’s tour .)
Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier
After sampling a wide variety of different regional dishes, the tour ends with a large meal with multiple dishes from the northeastern region of Brazil. Tom’s guests finish the tour full, tipsy and fully satisfied. Tom follows up the tour with an email full of personalised tips and recommendations, setting them up for the rest of their time in Rio.

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

And where did we go today? Here is a summary of the things we had on today’s Eat Rio Food Tour:

Street market: Caldo de Cana com limão (freshly squeezed sugarcane juice with lime), Abacaxi (pineapple), Melancia (watermelon), Sapoti (the caramel flavoured fruit that looked like a potato!), Caju (the cashew fruit), Atemoya (the custard apple hybrid), Sementes de cacau (cocoa seeds), Bananihas (teeny tiny bananas), Manga Palmer (sweet mango with no strings), Beiju de tapioca com queijo e oregano (tapioca pancakes topped with cheese and oregano).

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Portuguese Restaurant: Bolinhos de bacalhau (salt cod and potato croquettes), Theresopolis Gold (locally brewed pilsner beer);

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Belmonte: Caipirinha de limão/maracujá/manga (caipirinhas made with lime/passionfruit/mango).

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Juice bar: Suco de amora (Blackberry juice), Suco de Acerola (the sour orange coloured juice with the high vitamin C content), Suco de Graviola (juice of the guanabana/soursop fruit), Pão de queijo (chewy, cheesy tapioca breads).

Amazonian Restaurant: Tacacá (the strange soup with the salty shrimps and the Jambu leaves that made your tongue tingle!), Açaí (the deep purple berry purée topped with crunchy tapioca and/or granola).

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

While we were outside waiting to enter Amazonian restaurant, these crazy and SUPER ANNOYING “Egg Guys” were screaming into a highly powered microphone, about buying their eggs. OMG it was BEYOND AGGRAVATING. We couldn’t hear, let alone think straight. We kept hoping they’d drive off, but after several LONG minutes they hadn’t, so I had to get a quick photo. To remind me of this most EGGsssalant nightmare. They wouldn’t last too long in Brooklyn nor most places in the USA; they’d have been hard boiled or made into omelets long ago!

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

In the square (Praca Sao Salvador): Suco de cupuaçu (juice of the cupuacu fruit), Cupuaçú (the fruit I cracked open with a hammer), Cachaça de Jambú (the strange spirit that made your tongue tingle!).

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Northeastern Restaurant: Pasteis (deep-fried pastry parcels filled with cured beef), Queijo Coalho com melado (slabs of cheese from Northeastern Brazil served with sweet cane syrup), Carne seca com abobora e feijão de corda e manteiga da garrafa (air-dried, salted beef with pumpkin and beans, served with ‘butter from the bottle’), Moqueca de camarão (stew of shrimps, made with coconut milk, peppers and palm oil), Escondidnho de carne seca (creamy cassava puree with cured beef, topped with grilled cheese), Cerveja Terezopolis (locally brewed beer), Vinho Tinto Santa Helena (Cabernet Sauvignon from the Santa Helena), bombom de cupuaçú (sweet cupuaçú fruit and Brazil nuts covered in doce de leite and chocolate), Cafezinho (coffee to finish).

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

What a deliciously entertaining afternoon enjoying Tom’s Eat Rio Food Tour! Thanks again to my new superstar amigo, fellow Entrepreneur and wonderful human Tom Le Mesurier, for a most fabulous day of eating, laughing, learning and adventuring! Cheers!! PS Keep in mind these photos are taken by me, Michael S Novilla, with a Samsung Galaxy Note 5, no editing. These are photos from reality, not out of photoshop.

Michael S Novilla enjoys the Eat Rio Food Tour with Tom Le Mesurier

Are you Entrepreneurial? Then join our weekly ESC gathering, every Thursday night, mostly at my the historic wedding and event venue NOVA 535, located in gorgeous Downtown St. Pete, Florida. If you live elsewhere, sorry for you, haah! Just kidding! Seriously, reach out to me via MichaelSNovilla.com. I’m doing my best to help us Entrepreneurs make our world a better place. Good luck to us all!