LOCATION
At the beginning of the Newport dining and shopping strip, on the northern peninsula. 45 minutes from the CBD.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
In the beachy, holiday-esque setting of the Newport Community Centre, Braza Churrascaria is hard to miss. It sits on a corner and gleams with nouveau-chic style and Brazilian personality (qualities familiar to anyone who has dined at its Leichhardt sister restaurant). Your first view is of orange chairs in a front courtyard and floor-to-ceiling glass doors that invite you inside. Once here you can pick a high table in the bar area and drink your way through a list of delicious cocktails like the “bloody Maria” (a spin on the classic that incorporates cachaca, jalepenos, corriander, lime, tomato juice and hot Malagueta chilli), the “gramado” (Baileys, dark rum and cocoa leaf liqueur) or the lethal Caipirinhia (the Brazilian signature laced with sugar cane brandy cachaça, fresh limes and sugar). To ensure you don’t fall off the sleek stools you sit on, there is also an accompanying bar menu.
If you’re in for a slightly more substantial meal, you’ll need to venture just a little bit further to one of the dark wood tables. The menu here is simple – $42 per person for all you can eat. The food comes out Brazilian rodizio style (that is on a giant skewer with chefs cutting the meat straight onto plates). The selection of meats rotates between picanha (rump cap), costela (beef rib), coracao de frango (chicken hearts) and frango c bacon (chicken breast with bacon) among others. Sides include rice, salad, polenta and salsa. And although there are several vegetarian dishes available, this is definitely a place where the meat lovers find their happiness. If you’re after something a little bit more special, Braza also does a deluxe $65 per person menu for groups of 10 or more. This features delights like scallops with prosciutto, cured salmon, quail, spatchcock, kangaroo and more.
Agnes Gajewska, December 2009
DETAILS
Braza is commited to bringing Brazil to Sydneysiders, using traditional ingredients and cooking methods including a Gaucho style charcoal barbecue. This is a terrifc venue for a group of friends, families, birthdays.