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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Flavour of Brazil, Leichhardt



I'm sure I could become a vegetarian, if only I didn't like meat so much.

And so we find ourselves at Flavour of Brazil, a temple for carnivores in inner-west Leichhardt. The all-you-can-eat Brazilian Churrasco Banquet is gluttonous protein consumption at its finest. Normally priced at $35 per person, we take advantage of the $26 off-peak discount, available all-day Sunday and Monday and Tuesday nights.


Lime caipirinha

We start our evening with caipirinha, the national Brazilian cocktail with cachaca, a fermented and distilled sugarcane liquor that is muddled with sugar and lime. One should never drink on an empty stomach of course, but we're ready for the meat-fest that includes:

Garlic bread (Pao de Alho)
Brazilian Sausage (Linguiga)
Chicken Thigh Fillet (Sobre Coxa de Frango)
Chicken Wings (Asas de Frango)
Lamb (Cordeiro)
Rump Cup (Picanha)
Beef Sirloin (Contra Filet)
Scotch Fillet (Faixa Escocesa)
Pork Ribs (Costela de Porco)
Rump Steak (Alcatra)
Brazilian rice (Carreteiro)
Tomato Salsa (Vinagrete)
Garden Salad (Salada Mista)
Grilled Pineapple (Abacaxi Grelhado)


Garden salad

The sides arrive first. Garlic bread, garden salad, rice and salsa tempt even the strongest-willed among us, our appetites succumbing to the lure of instant gratification, even though we know the "good stuff" is yet to come.


Tomato and onion salsa


Brazilian rice with tomato and parmesan cheese



And finally the meat! And yes, I'm talking about the chicken wings (!!). Brandishing a giant stainless steel skewer propped over a wooden "juice-catcher", our server moves from person to person down our 12-strong table, dispensing portions as instructed.


Chicken wings

When the real hunks of meat arrive, it's crowd participation time. First you make your selection of preferred doneness (rare, medium or well), the server finds an area of meat that best suits your preference and begins the delicate task of slicing the meat. Your job is to use to small set of tongs provided to grab hold of the meat as it comes away, transferring it to your plate if all goes well, or watching it fall to the floor as you fail Tongs 101 (our table had about three casualties).


Lamb (Carneiro)


Rump cup (Picanha)


Rare, medium or well

It's about this point that we start to regret eating all those sides at the start. The best of them all comes last of course. The rump cup, or picanha, is so tender, soft and delicious, I'm opening all emergency stomachs to no avail. Once we complete the entire range of meats, the servers start to repeat the ones from before. The restaurant is also happy to take special requests, a few of the blokes make a request for more picanha which is quickly accommodated.


Grilled pineapple (Abacaxi Grelhado)

Dessert is a large slab of caramelised fresh pineapple. It's not super-sweet but the clean acidity provides a counter-balance to the abundance of meats.

We have worshipped, we are satiated, and I doubt that any of us are turning vegetarian anytime soon.

Flavour of Brazil
Italian Forum
Ground floor (walkway entrance)
Shop 20-23 Norton Street, Leichhardt, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9572 9479

Open 7 days for lunch and dinner
Brazilian Churrasco Banquet
$35 per person all-you-can-eat
$26 special available everyday for lunch and dinner except Friday and Saturday nights

A la carte also available
Brazilian samba show in carnival costumes on Friday and Saturday nights

Related GrabYourFork posts:
Brazilian - Boteco, Surry Hills
Brazilian - Churrasco, Coogee
Peruvian--La Parrillada, Petersham
14 comments - Add some comment love

posted by Helen (Grab Your Fork) on 8/31/2008 08:51:00 pm


14 Comments:

  • At 8/31/2008 9:17 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Oh this brings back memories :) I went there a couple of months ago and have been meaning to go back.....

     
  • At 8/31/2008 10:27 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    AG,

    Just wondering if you can get some dipping sauces to dip the various meats into? Some chilli sauce or whatever would be just divine :)

     
  • At 9/01/2008 9:07 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I love eating meat too..i doubt i can be a vegetarian.. :)

     
  • At 9/01/2008 11:11 am, Blogger susan said…

    Is that the same one that used to be in Pyrmont, that has now moved, that used to be called a Taste of Brazil? I agree with the rump, that's the best meat i have ever tasted. They should bring that out first, not last!

     
  • At 9/01/2008 4:42 pm, Blogger Anna (Morsels and Musings) said…

    i feel ripped off!!! i lived above a vacant restaurant for months and after i move out of the Forum this meatlovers heaven comes on in!!! bad timing.

     
  • At 9/01/2008 5:24 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Ooohhh such a good deal. The only other Brazilian all-you-can-eat-place I know is Wildfire and it is very pricey. Mmmm thx for the heads up ^^

     
  • At 9/01/2008 9:13 pm, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi aptronym - Mmm.... editing the photos made me want to go back too!

    Hi binarysmurf - We didn't have dipping sauces but we found the meats themselves were quite tasty enough on their own already. I'm sure you could ask for chilli sauce :)

    Hi crunchasarus rex - And yet dinosaurs were predominantly vegetarian weren't they? lol

    Hi Susan - I'm not sure - I had heard of Taste of Brazil but hadn't been there. Perhaps others can shed some light? The picanha was divine - so so so good!

    Hi Anna - Bad timing indeed! Perhaps the smell of all that meat may be driving the vegetarian residents crazy?

    Hi ffichiban - I know there are a couple of other churrasco restaurants around Sydney. There's one in Coogee but I haven't gotten there yet.

     
  • At 9/03/2008 8:17 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Oh, that looks simply divine! Flavour of Brazil is now at the top of my to-eat list. Goodness, yum!

     
  • At 9/03/2008 9:55 pm, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi spankthecook - Hope you enjoy your meal :) Make sure you bring all emergency stomachs!

     
  • At 9/04/2008 8:51 pm, Blogger Damana Madden said…

    I went tonight based on your review and it was brilliant. Thank you for the tip.

     
  • At 9/05/2008 12:34 am, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi Mana - So glad you enjoyed your meal. Go go iron levels!

     
  • At 9/07/2008 9:47 pm, Blogger mimbles said…

    I took the extended family there tonight for a Father's Day dinner based on this review. We had a lovely meal, the kids were well looked after and the food was great. I'm looking forward to exploring some more of your recommendations :)

     
  • At 9/12/2008 12:09 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hi AG,

    I went there last night based on your review. Have to say that I wasn't disappointed :)

    http://ptechnix.livejournal.com/123643.html

    Would be great if they had a variety of sauces to have with the meats, to break up the eventual tediom of the repeated flavours. At another churrasco we went to, they served an apple style sauce which was great!

     
  • At 9/14/2008 12:14 am, Blogger Helen (Grab Your Fork) said…

    Hi Mim - So glad you all enjoyed your meal :) Hope your future jaunts are just as successful!

    Hi ptechnix - Apple sauce sounds great - esp with pork :) Maybe if enough customers suggest it, they may consider?

     

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