Brasa Manchester Preview

For many years now, Chef Caroline Martins has been working her socks off throughout the city on various projects.   Her flagship venue Sampa has, in its new location, recently received a nod from Michelin via an Assiette award, and her iconic Chocolate Mushroom has become one of the most instantly recognisable plates in the whole city.

Sadly due to the above, scoring a reservation at Sampa has become nigh on impossible, so getting a taste of Caroline's Brazilian flair isn’t as straightforward as you'd wish.  Fortunately, there's now a second option in the city for those seeking out those South American flavours, down at Freight Island where Caroline has launched her own Brazilian BBQ driven offering, and the name of that offering is Brasa!  We were invited down to sample things, and of course to report our findings to you lovely people.

On arrival we were happy to be sitting at a table overlooking the kitchen, to pacify our proud food-geekiness, watching the Chefs play their trade.  For those who want to get really up close and personal, there's plenty of kitchen bench seating which some badly informed local food writers recently confused with being a Chef's Table experience, only to then go on and make themselves look stupid by complaining about it not being a Chef's Table.  That probably because, it isn’t trying to be one?

Anyway, the menu is simple yet focused, perfectly in line with Freight Island's vibe and market demographic.  There's a few starter options sitting alongside the main events which include steak, chicken, plus sandwiches/wraps, and a few sides too.  We were given some perfectly salty and delightfully snappy pork scratchings whilst having a proper nosey at the menu and decided to get involved and try as much as possible.

One of the initial bites at Sampa is their Brazilian Croquettes (£8.5 for 6), so I'm pleased to report that they are also on the menu at Brasa.  Available in a choice of either chicken, beef or cheese, as per at Sampa these were well cooked, super tasty and are just the perfect bar snack/welcome bite.

Next up on the starters/snacks was Brasa's Crispy Chicken (£7.5).  Juicy chicken, with a magnificently crunchy coating that’s seasoned with the lovely scent of annatto and served with a side of fiery smoked chilli mayo, to add even more smoky notes to the flavour fiesta.  If there was ever a crowd pleasing dish, then this is it.

No Brazilian food experience would be complete without the addition of a Caipirinha, or preferably two.   In this case, we went with a classic one, along with a passionfruit variation.  As Brazil's national cocktail, these were absolutely splendid and acted as the ideal accomplice to the main event.

Brasa Steak Frites (£15.5) was a Brazilian/French menagerie of steak, julienne fries and peppercorn sauce.  The headline protein is sourced from the always-excellent Littlewoods Butchers, who supply most of the city's very best kitchens. And as you'd expect, the cut is Picanha; the triangular cut taken from the top of the rump, which is an absolute institution in Brazil.  And for just £15.50, can you name a better priced steak frites anywhere in Manchester?  I've now been trying for 5 minutes, but can't? You can also add a heart of palm salad for just an extra few quid to boose that value even further!

If Caipirinhas are somehow not your thing, then there's also a nice lihttle selection of Brazilian wine available at Brasa too.  We decided to explore things a little deeper with a glass of Tannat and also a Savvy B, bot produced by Pizzato and were lovely quality, not to mention super interesting in offering something different in terms of style and origin.

To end, we were treated to some lovely Mini Churros (£8) filled with a dreamy caramel sauce/doce de leite.  Crispy, sweet, comforting and nostalgic.  Anybody with an even remotely sweet tooth would adore these.

So, Brasa is great value for money and feels more like a proper dining room than most of the outlets in Freight Island, which are decidedly more akin to food stalls than restaurants.  Plus in a world where seemingly every food court is dominated by said samey burgers, tacos and pizzas, it's lovely to see something just that bit different on offer here.  Aside from the now well-known rodizios, proper Brazilian restaurants are sadly lacking in the UK so having two which offer different products and price points right here in Manchester can only be a positive for the city, and we are lucky to have Caroline.

We say that if you have £15 to spend on a main course down at Freight Island, then there's no better option than paying a visit to Brasa, so get yourself down there to try Brasa for yourself!

** Our experience was gratefully comped **

Brasa Manchester Preview

Chef Caroline Martins is in a rich vein of form at the moment.  Her other venue, Sampa, picked up a Michelin listing back in March, aptly just ahead of the launch of her very latest project; Brasa at Freight Island!

Brasa has been in the making for some time, so we've been keen to find out more ever since we got whispers of its inception.  Few food cultures can rival Brazil in terms of their love of grilled meat, steak in particular.  And whilst we are Sampa fans, both their old and new basement locations mean that kitchen extraction is limited, so full fat grilling isn’t really possible, with cooking and other Maillard reactions taking place via ovens and blowtorches.

So based on all of the above, we were delighted to be invited down for their press and influencer preview, and see exactly what Caroline had in store for Brasa, not to mentioning what she can do with a good steak in conjunction with a proper BBQ!

As per the pre-launch promises Brasa's menu is headlined by steaks, notably including the iconic Picanha/rump cap cut; a Brazilian tradition.  There's also a few other cuts for those wanting a different texture or flavour profile, all in sharing size at very reasonable price points!

Backing up the steaks it's great to see several of Sampa's biggest hits on the menu at Brasa too, so you can now get yourself a taste of their newly Michelin listed menu in a more accessible and casual environment, as well as being able to pick and choose what you like since Brasa isn't tasting menu format.

Charcuterie is a long-term Sampa favourite of ours, as evidenced in our review.  It's typical to eat with a squeeze of lime in Brazil, and it rally works.  Acid + fat = balance, and this is just a superbly clever way of nailing that classic profile.

Pão de Alho was a delight.  A garlic topped Greek style flatbread that as super light in texture but still superbly flavourful.  The charred base added to the flavour massively, and was an deliciously early taste of that pre-mentioned, open flame action.

Next up was a familiar bread course.  Pão de Queijo is always another sure-fire winner over at Sampa, so putting in on the menu at Brasa makes perfect sense.  Bread studded with cheese, with a sterling onion butter which really balanced out the richness of the cheese. It's just a reliably delicious and well executed bread.

Salgadinhos, a style of Brazilian croquette, were light and incredibly moreish!  The cheese versions were truly delicious and came served with an astounding spicy dip which packed a huge kick.  The beef variety was also superb, as much as the table's favourite was the chicken.

But onto the main event and we were treated to a couple of large cut steaks, starting with that iconic Picanha.  Cooked to medium, which is perfect for this cut of protein, which is taken from the top of the rump, carrying a thick fat cap which was perfectly rendered.  It's a Brazilian institution for good reason.

We also sampled the Ribeye, which was cooked a little less, in keeping with its additional natural tenderness. It was so well cooked, with perfectly soft texture, and the fire driven flavour from the BBQ really shone through.

All steaks are served with fries, piquillo peppers and also spicy peppers. A Farofa pinch pot accompanied, which is apparently added to everything in Brazil!  We can absolutely understand why.  A deeply savoury flavour, not salty, but with crunchy texture.  An interesting new experience for us.  We also tried the Heart of palm salad, another nod to the Samp Mothership.  We love heart of palm so very much enjoyed this dish, which added a pop of freshness to all the richness of those steaks.

Our wine expert in attendance also gave glowing reports of Brasa's juice offering.   Both of the evening's wines were Brazilian, which is wonderful to see! A splendid Sauvignon Blanc; typically dry and erring on the more simple side, but full of zingy citrusy lime notes. Super refreshing and a proper crowd pleaser.

The Tannat however was, I quote, 'legit!'.  Supple tannins and super drinkable right now, unlike other Tannat which can be very tough when young (2022).  Velvety, dried fruit core with brooding dark fruit & notes of chocolate & baking spices. The perfect partner to Brasa's steaks!

And finally, we ended on Churros, filled with dulce de leche.  These were wonderful, like little bombs of deep-fried goodness, filled with a ton of caramel! So good and the ideally indulgent way to bring things to close.

So, Brasa has indeed been worth the wait, and we suspect that Sampa's recent inclusion in the Michelin guide will have a knock-on impact to Brasa'a fortunes too, in that people who are struggling to snag a seat at Sampa, will head to Brasa for a taste of Caroline's Brazilian flair.  Head down to Freight Island to sample it for yourself.

** Our experience was gratefully comped **