Brazil: Time for a Caipirinha

Sabor Basil – 1702 St Clair Ave W, Toronto, ON M6N 1J1
Country: Brazil
Must-try Dish: Grilled Picanha Steak 
Dinner Guest: Suited Sebastien

It has been a few weeks since my last Caipirinha on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and it was time to introduce this cocktail and Brazilian cuisine to Mat. Our usual dinner guest, Suited Sebastien joined us just in time for the first round as we made some decisions on the food. 

On a recent trip to Brazil (that Suited Sebastien happened to be on), a friend recommended Sabor Brazil in Toronto to enjoy Brazilian fare but warned us that nothing would be as tasty as the meals we indulged on our food tour in the actual country. 

To kick off the dinner, we ordered the mixed croquettas (Salgados Variados), giving us four melted cheese filled pieces and another four stuffed with a creamy pulled chicken. Surprisingly, Andrea preferred the chicken ones, while Mat and Suited Sebastien gave the cheese the top spot. But let’s be serious, both types were delicious. 

Brazilian cuisine is centered around meat, and it’s alleged that the protein in the country is the best in the world. Although I can’t say for sure, I can vouch for Brazilian meats to be both flavourful and buttery. So I can’t deny the high quality of these meats. 

Due to this meat-heavy culture, we weren’t surprised that our server recommended three dishes with beef initially. In the end, we opted for one beef dish, a fish stew, and a Brazilian-style meat and potato pie. 

The Grilled Picanha Steak was the obvious favourite of the group. It’s a large piece of beef, served with rice, beans, tomato slaw, and fried plantains. There was another small addition to the plate, a portion of manioc flour, which is referred to as “Brazilian sand” by English speakers in Brazil. It has the appearance and smoothness of sand but is edible. Some people actually really like it, despite it being dry. 

One reason why this dish came out ahead of the others is that it was most similar to what we were eating on a daily basis in Rio de Janeiro – an excessively big portion of meat. 

There was apprehension in ordering the fish stew, as we had a less than mediocre one on a tropical island a few hours away from Rio de Janeiro that required too much work to get to the shrimp, made a mess and lacked any real flavour. Despite this, we took our server’s advice to taste Sabor Brazil’s signature stew. It was good, even great, and the Brazilian fish stew was quickly redeemed! 

We were more curious than anything in choosing our last main dish, which was marketed to us as being a “Brazilian shepherd’s pie.” In many ways, it was very similar to this classic British staple combined with lasagna. The Escondidinho is a baked casserole with cassava, potato, seasoned ground meat, all topped with melted cheese. It was decadent, to say the least. 

It was interesting to compare the food from Brazil with what is on offer in Toronto. That being said, this isn’t Mandrea Bike’s last dance with Brazilian cuisine, as we want to have feijoadas. This is a Brazilian stew made with beans and meat that is slow-cooked and typically served on Saturdays. 

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)

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