Cabana

The Corn Exchange, Manchester

Brazil was the latest port of call in my culinary cruise around the Corn Exchange. The home of Rio Street Food was the chosen venue for my latest Saturday lunch date.

I’ll admit my ignorance and tell you that I didn’t really know what Brazilian food was. A quick Google search told me it was all about barbecued meat, rice and bean stews and cheesy dough balls (yes, really!).

Cabana’s decor may be authentic but the food isn’t anything to shout about. Seated at wooden tables underneath a canopy, light bulbs hanging from the ceiling on wires and oranges and lemons suspended above our heads, it had the feel of a beach hut in Rio. It’s bright, brash and colourful, just like the carnivals for which Rio is world famous.

It was surprisingly quiet for Saturday lunchtime; there were only a handful of other tables occupied. Despite this, the staff seemed determine to rush us in and out. Whilst I’m never one to complain about service being too fast, we had to send our waitress away three times before we were ready to order.

Refreshingly, there’s a selection of native non-alcoholic drinks that aren’t just your usual Sprite and Coca Cola. I had the lemon and lime soda water, which was refreshing without being overly gassy – always a bonus when you’re about to eat a meal.

To start, I had chargrilled halloumi with a guava dip. I only discovered halloumi recently but it has fast become a firm favourite of mine. Apparently, this is a classic combination which is known as ‘Romeo and Juliet’ in Brazil. The guava dip was slightly sweet and sticky, like a sweet chilli condiment but more tomatoey.

My friend had Crispy ‘Lula’ Squid – lightly fried salt and pepper squid rings, served with a Malagueta Mayo. The batter was just right, very pale and only slightly crispy, but the squid was slightly rubbery.

If you prefer light bites during the day, then the starters are ideal for sharing, with the Brazilian nachos and avocado tortillas providing something more substantial.

Crispy 'Lula' Squid and Chargrilled Halloumi

For the main courses, it’s quite a varied menu, with a choice of burgers, burritos, pitta breads, traditional curries and stews and loads of grilled meat. I had the Feijoada Burrito. Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil, despite originating Portugal. It’s a stew consisting of shredded pork, beef and beans and here is served inside a toasted rap with rice and shredded lettuce.

I’ve previously been spoilt with some sensationally tasty burritos, so this was rather disappointing. It was bland, tasteless and rather dry, which I really wasn’t expecting given the mix of flavours and textures. It was too heavy on the rice and subsequently lacked moisture. It came with what was supposed to be a ‘side salad’ but was really just a ramekin full of bits of shredded lettuce with a couple of pieces of radish thrown on the top: again, very disappointing. We ordered a side of Churrasco Fries to share, which were full of seasoning and helped to salvage the bland burrito.

Feijoada Burrito and Churrasco Fries

For dessert, we shared Caramel Churros and Chocolate Raindrop Doughnuts. The churros were dusted with cinnamon and served with a sticky, sickly sweet caramel sauce, perfect for dipping. The crispy churros were warm enough for the cinnamon to melt into them as you dipped them into the caramel. The Chocolate Raindrop Doughnuts were dough balls stuffed with oozing Nutella. They were served piping hot, so we waited a while before tucking into them. It was just as well we did, as, it becomes blindingly obvious on your first attempt, that the only way to devour them is to put them in your mouth all in one go. Otherwise, the Nutella oozes out when you bite into them and, frankly, that’s a waste. Dessert was definitely the best bit.

Caramel Churros and Chocolate Raindrop Doughnuts

If you’re just after a drink, there’s an indoor beach bar upstairs. They have an extensive cocktail menu and, when we visited, they were offering 2 cocktails for £10 all day.

Just short of £25 for three courses at lunchtime doesn’t exactly break the bank; it’s perfectly reasonable for a Saturday in the city centre. I wouldn’t rush back, but it was pleasant enough.

View the menus here: https://cabana-brasil.com/menu-locations/manchester/