and this little piggy walked all the way home...

Ipanema Market Av. Visconde de Pirajá, 499 - Lunch of distinction

Click here for the website

Even the furniture looks better than Ian Beal's fruit and veg stall.

Ooooh - what a treat. If you fancy splashing out on a fancy lunch then this might well be the place for you.

We had skewers and mash. Literally a rare treat. Ladies had black risotto and cous cous. The risotto was probably made by the God of rice himself. No kidding. Greg Wallace would have shat his pants.

All accompanied by posh booze and coffee with a teaspoon of fudge on the side. Cute touch I thought.

Not exactly the lunch I could stretch to on a weekly basis, but quite the place to prove you can keep up with the Jones' if that seriously is still your thing.

Now, I may very well have not let him in...

Also, if you need any incentive to get up in the morning - the breakfast menu looks rather spectacular too.

For a more foody revew (or if you simply don't trust me) try here.

How do you like your eggs in the morning?

Midweek Breakfast Panic......

Now theres no point starting the day on an empty stomach, and here in Rio there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever. My daily coffee and fresh bread is such a staple part of my life now I feel as though I might come slightly unhinged without it. Who would have thought? Anyhow, if by some freak of nature (and believe me they happen here) I don't make it to work before breakfast is snatched back into the kitchen, there are literally hundreds of en route possibilities worth considering. I'm not kidding. On wednesday this week I bought a coffee and a sarnie from some bloke selling them from the boot of his car. Absolutely top notch.

Weekend breakfast delights....

Now, since the patter of tiny feet, hung over lie-ins have become more modest to say the least. Hangovers though, I have to say are still plentiful and getting worse as a speed towards dementia. Thanks heavens for the marvellous Copacabana saturday morning breakfasts. They truly save lives. Here's how.

This morning we amble along the road for 5 minutes and stopped at Big bi's (I reckon there a few) - and bought:

• Toast+butter
• Pineapple Juice (fresh as a daisy)
• 2 coffees with milk
• Cheese and ham pastry (called a joelho)
• Esfha de Carne (mince meat and veg pastry)
• pão de queijo (cheesy bread balls)

Wonderful - all fresh, and served with a smile - the bill? R$16 - just over 6 quid.

Coffee here, as you might expect, is everywhere and really varies in quality, but at these places, a 'Cafe Media' with milk is a small work of art. Take the time to watch your waiter pour the milk and coffee it precisely the proportions you want. Does it really make a difference? - Apparently so. And always remember that if you want to add the entire sugar bowl to this carefully crafted concoction, then that's absolutely fine.

Now - if you want to splash out, there are loads of places the hungover chic Carioca set like to be seen recomposing after a heavy night. Last weekend we went to Santa Satisfação. The honey was amazing - and I'm not that bothered about honey. Ra ra ra - you get the idea.

Anyhow, I reckon we could do breakfast out for years without exhausting the possibilities. How do you eat yours?

I can't get no place to sit down...