Feed Food is the backyard restaurant of hip boutique-cum-gallery Cartel 011, one of a growing rash of multi-culti city venues which refuse to be pigeon-holed within the art or fashion scenes that inspire them.

Cartel has been drawing ever more diverse crowds – from skate punks to up-and-coming artists – since the opening of Feed Food in early 2012. The bright space conjures an informal yet fashionable alfresco dining experience, with a canopy of trees and glass roofing over a scattering of wood tables, chairs, and a wood-decked bar.

The food is as eclectic as the venue itself, serving a little bit of everything. We tried a somewhat bland (both in flavour and appearance) pumpkin risotto with queijo Canastra (a local cheese made with unpasteurised cow’s milk), topped with a mound of crushed almonds and hazelnuts (R$27). The noodles crunch com frango ao curry (R$27) – a chicken curry topped with a tower of noodles, shaved carrot, and toasted almonds – was simple and tasty, if a little on the salty side.

Do yourself a favour and don’t miss the creative caipirinhas (green fig and lime, or banana with ginger and rum) or one of the beautifully presented desserts. We loved the tapioca pudim (R$10) covered in baba de moça (a creamy egg yolk and coconut sweet) and served with a solitary purple pitanga berry, a perfect tart contrast to the sweet gooey mess.