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 **