Nothing marks the end of the year quite like the flood of invitations to Christmas parties and the subsequent deliberation as to which ones require obligatory attendance.
2018
And for 2018, our first of these was held at Braza Churrascaria for their traditional churrascaria ($58.00, excl. drinks).
These were some of the side dishes (clockwise from top left):
- Cheese bread (+$6.00) – these were around 4 cm in diameter with a dense texture and a prominent cheese flavour, giving the impression of biting into a small lump of cheese.
- Rocket salad (salada de rúcula) – this one had a mix of root vegetables, including pumpkin and beetroot on a bed of rocket.
- Tomato salsa (vinagrete) – this one added a fresh acidity to the meats.
- Coleslaw (salada de repolho) – this one had various kinds of cabbage with carrots.
These were the crumbed banana (banana frita) and easily my favourite of all the sides. The banana is soft with a crunchy crumbed coating, making them perfect bite-sized morsels of sweetness.
On the right (on the edge of the photo) are the Brazillian chillies (pimentas malaguetta) that have been pickled with a gentle heat and slightly acidic flavour. Not pictured are chopped Chinese broccoli (couve) that have a refreshing crunch as well as beer-battered chips (batata frita) that we avoided eating to leave space for the meats.
For drinks, we have Guaraná Antarctica, a guarana-flavoured soft drink from Brazil. I thought its flavour might bear resemblance to various energy drinks containing guarana, but it had a surprisingly mild flavour recalling light apple juice with a hint of berry sweetness.
The meats come around steadily for the next 90 minutes. Male waiters walk along each table holding long skewers of meat and carve a slice at your request.
We start with the rump cap (Picanha).
The rump cap (picanha) (front, right) is one of the most tender and juicy pieces of meat we eat the entire night. We’re not sure if it’s because we’re hungry or because the meats all start tasting the same after a while. This is followed swiftly by the grilled halloumi (middle) and the lamb rump (alcatra de carneiro) (back, left).
Off to the side of the restaurant, the beef ribs (costela) are being carved.
We find the beef ribs (Costela) (rectangular piece, front, right) a tad dry, while we enjoyed the grilled barramundi (Peixe na Folha de Bananeira) (front, left) deliciously flaky with a fresh herby flavour from the vine leaf wrapping. There’s the homemade sausage (Linguiça Caseira) (back, middle) that looks and tastes like a bratwurst.
Various other beef cuts (not shown) come around including the flank (fraldinha), a garlic rump cap (picanha com alho), hump (cupim) and tri-tip with provolone (maminha c/ queijo). We enjoyed the added flavour of the garlic rump cap.
Later on, we try some scotch fillet (filé de costela) (front, right) that’s cooked to a perfect medium rare, as well as some pork neck (sobre paleta) (front, left), and pork belly (panceta) (not shown) with audibly crispy pork crackling on every piece. A favourite was the prawns (camarão) (remnants, middle) with their crispy shell that took on a moreish charred flavour while the innards remained crisp and juicy.
Garlic bread (pão de alho) and various chicken cuts came around (not shown), including chicken drumettes (coxinha da asa), chicken hearts (coração), chicken thigh fillet (filé da sobrecoxa) and chicken breast w/ bacon (medalhão de frango). We weren’t so keen on the chicken cuts, though we did look forward to the chicken hearts, which were a bit softer than we’d like.
And this is the pineapple (abacaxi), covered in cinnamon sugar and grilled for a deliciously caramelised flavour. The pineapple is one of the most memorable skewers of the dinner, with a punchy acidity and sweetness that cuts through the heaviness of the meat and keeps us asking for seconds.
Towards the end of the 6-8 pm seating, a pair of Brazillian dancers and a group of drummers come out for a (very loud) dance performance.
Overall, dining at Braza Churrascaria is an experience and an excellent way to taste different cuts of well-prepared meat, but it’s not something we’d want to repeat too often.
2024
We returned to Braza Churrascaria for a second Christmas dinner for D’s workplace, following a satisfying experience during the 2018 Christmas celebration.
Once again, we opted for the Traditional Churrasco ($75.00 per person) with optional extras.
Skewers
Unfortunately, the quality of the meats was disappointing. Most offerings were dry, overcooked, and chewy, falling short of expectations. The lacklustre preparation left us wishing we had opted for an à la carte menu at a standard restaurant, where the same cuts would likely have been more enjoyable.
Below is a list of the skewers served, excluding the homemade sausage, which was dry and overly salty. Notably, we were not offered some items advertised on the menu, such as beef ribs, beef hump, lamb rump, pork leg, pork neck, or prawns, all of which we would have liked to try. While rump with provolone and chicken breast with bacon were offered, we chose not to partake in those.
Beef
Beef flank
Rump Cap
Garlic Rump Cap
Sirloin
Lamb
Lamb Leg
Pork
Pork Ribs
Pork Belly
Chicken
Chicken Thigh Fillet
Chicken Drumette
Chicken Hearts
Seafood
Fish
Vegetarian
Halloumi Cheese
Garlic Bread
Pineapple
Side Dishes
Mixed Salad
Tomato Salsa
Beer Battered Chips
Crumbed Banana
Chinese Broccoli
Brazillian Style Rice
Extras
Cheese Bread ($9.00 for 6).
Beverages
We tried three variations of fresh lemonade, each served with generous amounts of macerated fresh fruit:
Grapefruit Fresh Lemonade ($28.00/1 L). “Fresh grapefruit and lemon, grapefruit juice, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and soda water.”
Tropical Fresh Lemonade ($28.00/1 L). “Fresh pineapple, orange, and passionfruit, pineapple juice, piña colada syrup, and soda water.”
Mixed Berry Lemonade ($28.00/1 L, no photo). “Fresh berries, strawberry purée, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, lemonade, and soda water.”
While all three tasted pleasant and were refreshing, the price felt excessive for what was essentially fruit soda.
Overall Experience
This second visit to Braza Churrascaria fell short of expectations. The skewers offered were inconsistent in quality and did not include several menu items we were eager to try. Staff did not ensure that all menu items were served, and the removal of menus left us unable to verify what we missed until later. The dry and chewy meat further detracted from the experience, leaving us underwhelmed and unlikely to return.
Braza Churrascaria is located at 1-25 Harbour Street, Sydney NSW 2000.