Maybe it's kind of a snooze to have two good reviews in a row, and two restaurant reviews in a row, but whatever, people! I have been dying to review Vida e Saúde (that's "Life and Health" in Portuguese), a veg*n buffet restaurant here in Porto Alegre.
First of all, before I talk about all the specifics of the place, I have to give a huge, gigantic, hearty thumbs-up to the PRICE factor. Guess how much you pay for an unlimited lunch buffet, including unlimited drinks and dessert? $11 Brazilian reais, which is equal to about $6 Canadian (and also about $6 US, seeing as the Canadian dollar is pretty much at par with the American one right now, muhaha). Six freaking dollars! Amazing. My North American mind has no concept of this.
Well, maybe I could understand the price being so low if the food was crappy or of poor quality. But it's so good! I know I rated the Green Door's food as excellent, but Vida e Saúde's is even better. Really. You get a lot of traditional Brazilian fare (beans, rice, polenta, pasteis, etc.), in addition to fabulous fresh fruit and veggies, all kinds of fried patties, faux-meat, pasta dishes, and more. (All of these are vegetarian and many are vegan.) They have a wonderful selection of fresh fruit juices. Aaaaand some of the desserts are to die for. These again are mostly of the Brazil-specific variety, made with doce de leite (dulce de leche) and sweetened condensed milk and the like. Lately I've been wondering how I went my whole life without these little bits of heaven! One not-so-heavenly little nugget of information I just came across though: For some reason, the jell-o they serve is animal-based. Why?! I'm just glad I didn't eat it before I found out, *eep*. Consider yourselves warned.
The restaurant is located in downtown Porto Alegre, which is a bustling, hot, crowded place, composed of old historic buildings interspersed with government offices, large businesses, and little shops in varying states of repair. Walking into Vida e Saúde serves as a breath of fresh air and a refuge from the chaos around it. It's spacious, cool, clean, and has a simple but cheery decor. The staff is friendly and efficient. And like I said, the food is so good and so delightfully affordable!
Vida e Saúde is open for lunch every weekday. So I think I might need to campaign somehow for them to extend their hours - and to switch to animal-friendly jell-o! I'll let you know if I'm successful.
Business hours and other info: http://www.guiavegano.com.br/vegan/restaurantes-com-opcao-vegetariana-em-porto-alegre/vida-e-saude