CityLife

Bem Brasil

IN the 1860s, Deansgate and the various streets that run off it, were a hotspot for thugs, violent gangs and ‘ladies of the night’.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Brazil, nomadic cowboys, gauchos, would farm huge cattle herds on the vast plains, stopping at night to slaughter and feast on a whole cow.

Now, 150 years on, the two worlds have collided.

Thankfully we’ve not exported our miscreants and ne’er-do-wells), rather the rustic South American culinary delights have found a more than warm welcome at a now firmly upmarket area of Manchester.

Samba fever

Bem Brasil opened its second establishment on King Street West in April, buoyed by the huge success of its Northern Quarter base.

Set up by Brazilian restaurateur Kleber Magalhaes as Pau Brasil – but forced to change its name after a Reading coffee shop staked a claim on the name – the original earned a reputation as a lively, fun-packed eaterie.

Then came a wave of Samba fever across the city as an influx of Brazilian footballers put the country at the forefront of many Mancunian minds.

Indeed, the restaurant is a firm favourite with Manchester’s own galacticos with Brazilian superstars Robinho, Jo, Elano and the da Silvas regularly getting a taste of home and convincing their international team-mates to come along.

Aimed at carnivores

So it made sense to open a new £1m sister venue in the heart of the city.

Bem Brasil claims to be the ‘best steakhouse in town’.
Although the menu is aimed squarely at carnivores, that description rather underplays what it is has to offer.

‘Churrascarias’, as they are known in Brazil, translates from the Portuguese as a steakhouse – but that conjures up images of family-friendly, cheap ‘n’ cheerful eateries.

Step inside Bem Brasil and within seconds you realise you’re in one of the trendiest and most unique establishments in the city. 

The interior is simple yet swanky with Amazonian hardwood floors and carnival-inspired images lining the walls.

Stylish dining room

To the right of the entrance is a spectacular cocktail bar specialising in the Brazilian drink Caipirinha with more than 20 different varieties to try.

But being exceedingly hungry, we decided to head straight upstairs to the huge and stylish dining room. 

There is a small choice of dishes on the menu but, like all the other customers, we opted to go straight for the ‘Rodizio’ at £22.50.

This is a continuous service where waiters come to the table and carve the various selection of meats.

Vast and impressive

A small, round card signals your intentions – green for go and red for ‘Non, obrigado’ which roughly translates as ‘I’ve filled my face to bursting point but if I wait five minutes I might be able to cram more  in.’

First it’s a trip to the vast and impressive buffet bar. It’s not the usual selection of browning lettuce leaves and soggy sliced carrot but an incredible choice of delicious fresh salads and cold Brazilian dishes.

There’s so much choice that it’s difficult not to fill the plate and the options are too large to list in their entirety.

Among our favourites were the fabulously tasty fish dishes Muqueca (fish, tomatoes, onions, garlic, parsley, coriander, coconut milk and paprika) and Peixe Milanesa (fillet of fish in flour pan-fried) as well as the beetroot salad and mushroom salad, although the fried bananas in batter were a strange addition.

Star attraction

But, of course, the meat is the star attraction. The cooking style is similar to that of the Brazilian gauchos passed down the generations from century to century when skewered cuts of meat are roasted over fire pits.

It was first developed when leather was enormously more valuable than the meat, which would explain the extravagant portions.

First to arrive is a sword piercing a dozen pork sausages. Not the most exciting start but I ask for one to be peeled off all the same.

Next up are chicken thighs, deliciously tactile and that’s followed by a wonderfully succulent rump steak. Around 15 dishes are rotated around the evenings so it’s a surprise to see what’s next to be delivered to the table.

Tasty chicken hearts

Next, disappointingly, is garlic bread followed by tasty chicken hearts and then a juicy sirloin steak.

It’s extremely difficult to turn away the waiters as they relentlessly return and one of the problems with ‘all you can eat menus’ is that, when it’s good, it really can become ‘as much as you can eat’.

Even when I’ve shown all the waiters the red card, the sight of that sirloin has us temporarily going green again.

It’s a fun lively place; the Brazilian music is subtly in the background rather than over-egging the Latin influence, although there is live music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Magnificent meats

It’s a great place to go with friends, although manager Andy Aldrich insists the majority of their customers are couples.

Whoever you go with, make sure you take your appetite. It might be basic but once you get a whiff and glimpse of those magnificent meats, its more than hard to turn it away.

Bem Brasil, King St West, Manchester, M3 2GQ (0161 839 2525).
 

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