Agony, ecstasy, agony

Fresh tofu, quail's eggs, sushi

Went for a second gastronomic extravaganza at Cachoeira Tropical Restaurante Natural. It is truly a diamond in the rough, offering delicious, fresh, high quality food, mainly vegetarian but also including some fish and chicken, in unlimited quantities for an absurdly good price (R$ 23 per head including natural fruit drinks and herbal tea and coffee. That's about £9 or $14.50). It's a sensual pleasure dome, heaving with tropical fruits and vegetables, beautifully displayed and full of taste. Unlike another vegetarian restaurant we visited, this one is good for the conscience and the soul. Thanks again to our full of good taste dining companion Luiz for alerting us to this place. It even has a nappy changing room which came in handy.

I can hardly believe I just wrote with such unqualified enthusiasm about something in Sao Paulo. But credit where credit is due. This gem of a restaurant will probably only ever be known to me as a Sunday buffet but to eat this well and in such pleasant surroundings even once a week is a rare pleasure.

So if this was the ecstasy where was the agony ? No, it wasn't from indigestion, which says something about the quality of the food on which we were all gorging ourselves.

Sadly, the agony was as usual in the travelling to and from the restaurant, which is about five miles away from our home. No public transport door to door so either a tube and taxi or, since the taxi seemed so expensive last week, a taxi all the way this time. It came to R$ 35 (£14 or $22.50) one way, maybe not horrific (and would have been higher if the taxi driver had charged for the final, traffic-clogged approach) but still greatly resented when you're used to taking public transport pretty much door to door in London.

The other thing I do a lot in my home town is cycling and walking, but the former, as a means of transport, is out of the question in Sao Paulo, and walking long distances is also too dangerous in terms of pollution, muggers and a pedestrian-hating road system that often leaves you stranded on tiny islands between multi-lane highways. Navigating around this city remains a nightmare.

We attempted to go for a walk after lunch but this left me, at least, nursing a sore throat and head, thanks to the pollution and the noise of a brutal cityscape. We were supposedly in one of the most expensive areas of town (Av. Juscelino Kubitschek and Av. Faria Lima, ending up in Rua Tabapua). I was also very concerned about what this dreadful pollution might be doing to my baby son in his stroller.

Desperate to escape, we jumped on a bus (well, not exactly jumped with our baby wagon in hand). Travelling in anything but a car in Sao Paulo is generally unpleasant and difficult, and of course even the closeted, cosseted automobile occupants are invariably stuck forever in traffic jams.

Then we changed to the metro at Paulista and, switching tube trains once, finally got back to our local station (Tiradents), a short walk from home.

Now, several hours later, the headache is finally diminishing and the throat is calmer. But I'm really fed up with not being able to live a simple and affordable life, in keeping with what I as a European consider to be truly middle class. To be clear, I would not wish to be living here in a wealthy bubble, it doesn't appeal at all. I don't know how a city can be considered good or impressive when it so egregiously neglects its infrastructure and public space.

There are few cities I have lived in where going out for a walk can so rapidly transform my mood from happy to miserable but, sadly, Sao Paulo is one of them. Today's memories should have been dominated by some incredible food at an incredible price but instead these are being jostled by the memory of trying to push a baby buggy along the usual disgracefully inadequate sidewalk next to a poisonous motorway while taking in the most uninspiring vistas and uninspired buildings.

Apparently the French, who have a significant presence in Sao Paulo, call it the "unlivable city". In classic French style, they don't hold back with their opinions (I can talk !). In contrast, Americans down here tend to exhibit the usual US traits of imperishable positivity, preferring to avoid any focus on the downside of life in the new promised land.

Anyway, here are some more photos of the delicious food: