Alongside the enormous, faceless Barra Shopping an altogether more streamlined, slicker and expensive new mall opened in early 2013, destined to hoover up the neighbourhood's designer label lovers and drag some of the Shopping Leblon faithful further west. As well as the new, 1,000-capacity Teatro Bradesco theatre, Village Mall boasts a beautiful roof terrace with views out over Tijuca Lake and a strong selection of restaurants, but, just as refreshingly, inside the front door is one of the most impressive, well-stocked bookshops in the city. The spacious Livraria Saraiva takes the unusual approach of colour-coding their shelves rather than alphabetising, which might prove a nightmare for the shop assistants, but the overall impression of the themed areas is a beautiful rainbow of colour from floor to ceiling.

Elsewhere, Tiffany & Co., Prada and Louis Vuitton rub shoulders with local hot-shot brands Osklen, Farm and Reserva. The likes of Hugo Boss and Gucci are also present, which makes the sight of a jacket potato restaurant all the more incongruous. Fortunately, Besi has opened its second outlet here (the original is in the heart of Centro), making for an atmospheric cuppa, great cookies and an array of salads and sandwiches. More substantial offerings come in the form of Argentine steakhouse Pobre Juan, Quadrifoglio and Claude Troisgros is due to open a new brasserie at the end of 2013.