Promotion
RIO fever is about to hit and Brasilian barbecue restaurant Cabana is ready for the rush. They've just amped up their menu with lots of distinctive new dishes, from smoky street food to coconutty curries to lively salads.
Served sizzling hot to your table, the aroma hits you before the taste does. It's a force 10, full flavoured rump cut, smoky on the outside, pink on the inside.
When Confidential visit, the Corn Exchange restaurant looks the part with its urban beach-cafe vibe. Colourful, summery, funky and relaxed – if this is what Brasil looks and feels like, we want to go. And if this is what Brasil tastes like, we're emigrating.
The new menu is a beguiling mix of smoky, barbecue flavours and sweet, exotic fruits. Think lots of fresh produce such as palm hearts, guava, mango and avocado, combined with seared skewers of steak, chicken and halloumi, and sticky, spicy sauces, like their popular Malagueta.
With food like this, Brasil won't just be the taste of the summer; it'll be a hit for years to come.
Here are our highlights:
Starters
Salt cod fritters
The kind of sharing food you won't want to share. The tangy lime mayo is the perfect match for these soft, creamy pouches of salt cod and potato. Mild and moreish, these are a hit with everyone.
Chargrilled halloumi with guava dip
This startling mix satisfies three cravings in one: salty, sweet, and smoky. The jam-like guava dip works a treat with the seared halloumi. In Brasil, it's a classic combination served as a starter or a dessert. So good, we'd have it as a main too.
Spicy Malagueta Chicken Doughnuts
A daydream of a dish. Malagueta chicken cushioned inside a soft, crispy ball of sweet, cheesy dough. And it tastes even better than it sounds.
Pork and papaya sausage wheel
A circle of juicy, tender sausage with a beautiful sweetness from the papaya. Cabana loves combining smoky meats with exotic fruits – this dish shows the pairing off perfectly.
Chicken breast wrapped in bacon
Another meat and fruit combo with grilled pineapple taking the supporting role here. Chicken wrapped in bacon is a steak house staple in Rio, and Cabana do it well. It's good quality meat cooked till the juices flow.
Sizzling Picanha Steak
Served sizzling hot to your table, the aroma hits you before the taste does. It's a force 10, full flavoured rump cut, smoky on the outside, pink on the inside. The sauce of fried onion and tomato goes well with the charcoal flavours.
Hipanema Salad with Spicy Malagueta Chicken
Soft, light and very spoonable, the quinoa salad is one of our favourite dishes. Its delicate, nutty flavour is complemented by sweet mango dressing and the chunks of avocado and squash keep us digging in for more.
Spicy Malagueta Chicken could be called Cabana's speciality. Sweet and smoky with a pleasant chilli kick, it's their most ordered item. This is one chicken salad that's far from bland.
Crispy Lula Squid Burger
A small mountain of calamari-style squid is the centrepiece to this seaside burger. We love the lighter than air batter, and the citrus hit of the mayo. These tender, slender rings are a very easy eat, once unstacked. Nobody's going to get that jaw-stopper in their mouth in one piece, are they?
Sides
Chargrilled courgettes
Bitter-sweet and surprisingly meaty for a vegetable. Served in a dinky chargrill pan that should probably have a security tag attached.
Tomato and palm heart salad
A lovely, refreshing accompaniment to the smoky meat dishes. The mild, artichoke-esque palm hearts are a good match for the sharp, sweet tomatoes.
Sweet potato fries
Upgrade your chips to a pot of these. Crunchy on the outside, fluffy in the middle, they go well with anything.
Drinks
Amazon Iced Tea
Tangy and sweet. Light and refreshing. Try this blend of apple, mint and tea if you want a change from your usual soft drink.
Cool Colada
Just the thing for a hot summer's day, this is a sophisticated, thirst-quenching blend of pineapple, citrus and coconut.
Cabana Manchester, The Corn Exchange, Exchange Square, Manchester M4 3TR.
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