Cheese Breads (Pão de queijo), caipirinha, feijoada completa
By Roberta Facuri - ABCC
Sydney is the most populated city of Australia and one of the most multicultural in the world, and an important destination for immigrants and tourists. This mix of cultures brought by Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian immigrants is translated into Sydney's cuisine. And it would not be any different with Brazilians that come to Australia through education, tourism and work or looking for a great lifestyle.
Brazilian cuisine is becoming more common in Sydney and has been influenced not only by indigenous and Portuguese foods, but also by the cooking styles of immigrants from many others parts of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. All the five geographic Brazilian regions ffer distinctly different culinary and that’s what makes the Brazilian food so exotic. Andre Felicio, chef and owner of Braza Churrascaria, believes that the main difference between Australian and Brazilian food, for example, is the great variety of natural ingredients that is only possible to find in Brazil. However, some of these ingredients like cassava root (mandioca in Portuguese) now are easily found in Sydney areas where Brazilian people tend to concentrate like Bondi, Manly, Dee Why and Petersham.
One very famous Brazilian snack made with cassava, eggs and cheese is known as “pão de queijo” (cheese bread) and after taking over the US and European countries, has also made its way over to Australia, manufactured by SalDoce Fine Foods in Sydney and distributed the Portuguese butchers in Petersham and other delicatessens, branded “Frevos cheese breads” (www.frevos.com). Another famous Brazilian icon is the soft drink “Guaraná”, drunk in Brazil as much as Coke and Pepsi, made from the guarana berries from the Amazon, also sold in Australia to various supermarkets and delis branded “Antartica”.The traditional ‘all you can eat’ barbecue style restaurants were introduced to the Australian market as a typical Brazilian meal that continuously offers to the guests different types of top quality meat like tenderloin, rump cap, chicken drumsticks, chicken hearts, sea food (prawns). Following this trend, new Brazilian restaurants opened their doors every day to provide this unique experience of eating a great variety of meats, which includes typical Brazilian dishes such as rice, black beans, potato salad, cassava flour, tomato salsa and the abocementioned pão de queijo (cheese bread). The restaurants’ environment is friendly and cosy and normally customers become regulars. And in fact, Alessandra Costa, owner of Churras, is very impressed with the results and declares that Australian guests love the Brazilian food style!
Table of Brazilian restaurants in Sydney
Restaurant Name | Braza Churrascaria | Brazuca | Churras | Churrasco |
Owners | Andre Felicio and Lenka Horakova | Scott Slater | Alessandra Costa and Churti Rayk | - |
Chef | Andre Felicio | Rodrigo Marques | Angela Lorca and Marcelo Cardoso | - |
Established | November 2007 | November 2006 | May 2008 | - |
Location | Leichhardt | 48 North Steyne Avenue, Manly | 219 Oxford St Darlinghurst, Sydney | Coogee and Woolloomooloo |
Open Hours | Wed to Sun: noon to 3.30pm Daily 6pm-till late | Sat/Sun noon-10.30pm Daily 6pm-10.30pm | Mon/Fri 5.30-till late Sat/Sun noon-till late | Sun noon-3pm |
Seats | 115 | 80 | 80 | 100 |
Website | ||||
Entrée | - | AUD 5 | - | AUD 10.50 |
Main course | AUD 38 per person | AUD 38 per person | AUD 35 per person | AUD 30 – 35 |
Desserts | AUD 10 | AUD 9 | AUD 8 | AUD 8 |
Main speciality | Barbecue | Barbecue, Brazilian regional plates and platters | Barbecue, Brazilian plates and platters | Barbecue |
Source: The Australia Brazil Chamber of Commerce collected the information directly from the restaurants and through an organic search in the Internet.
