Toulouse. Fogo, the restaurant that changes menu every day.
In Toulouse, a new restaurant with a unique concept opened its doors on December 12th. Changing the menu every day is the idea of Bruno and Frédéric, at Fogo, rue des Puis Clos. Something to disturb and surprise customers.
Fogo is the dream of Bruno Marques and Frédéric Medves. Friends and colleagues for ten years, the two thirty-somethings embarked last December on the crazy adventure of catering, rue des Puis Clos, in Toulouse. “Fogo is a mixture of a desire and a profession that we know” explains Bruno, cook and co-manager of the restaurant. Trained in the hotel industry, the two men worked for many years in different establishments, with the idea of one day opening their own business. Concerned about the quality of their products, they are willing to work with local producers. “90% of our menu is local. The majority of our fish and meat come from the Basque Country. Our fruits and vegetables are grown by market gardeners less than 40km from here… I don’t know how to work other than with products fresh”, adds Bruno.
“We like to be punchy”
As much in taste as in concept, the two partners have imagined an establishment that resembles them, leaving the boxes of Toulouse restaurants. “Most restaurants offer the same products, with the same menu regardless of the day of the week. It was out of the question for us to follow this principle. Personally, I don’t like to eat the same thing every day, and for cooking it’s the same”, explains Bruno. Their solution was found: change the menu every lunchtime and 3 to 4 times a week for the evening service! A way for the two restaurateurs to invent their own concept. “Customers join or they don’t come back”, quips Frédéric, co-manager in charge of the service, “but we like to provoke them by taking them out doing their habits”. “We also chose this concept for storage reasons. We have a small establishment, where we cannot keep large quantities. The products must therefore be consumed quickly”, adds Frédéric.
Impactful in the concept but also in the flavors, the two restaurateurs are not lacking in ideas. “I draw a lot of inspiration from my Brazilian origins to season my dishes. And above all, I like to mix cultures and strike the palate of my customers”, confides Bruno. On the menu, some days, a trout from the Pyrenees with passion fruit sauce, blue corn tortillas with feijoada (red bean) and rib dishes, a grilled duck breast… enough to have the mouth watering! France, Brazil and other nationalities rub shoulders on Fogo’s plates. Since its opening, the establishment has been very successful, and sells out 3 weeks in advance.