Fazenda
‘Would sir like some more meat with your mountain of meat? Or perhaps I could instead interest you in a tsunami of steak?’
Except for a steakhouse in New Zealand’s art deco capital, Napier, where I unwisely took on their gut-buster challenge back in 1990 and ate a pizza-sized 90oz steak (I was ill for a week, don’t be tempted) I’ve never seen as much meat as I did at Fazenda.
This beautifully appointed 175-seater restaurant on George Street is a gleaming temple to South America’s love affair with meat in general and steak in particular.
It is, in effect, the poshest, swankiest all-you-can-eat restaurant you will ever visit.
The deal is a pretty simple one, and like most meals comes in three stages. First of all you pillage a salad bar that includes everything from fresh salads and cheeses to cured meats, sushi and the national dish of Brazil, a bean stew called feijoada that is served with rice.
The next stage is to turn over the little red sign you’re given so that it’s green for ‘Go!’, which is when a tidal wave of meat hits you.
A neverending stream of waiters wander over bearing skewers of 13 different meats (signature steak Picanha, rump, lamb, chicken thighs, pork belly, pork sausage, bottom sirloin, tenderloin, skirt, sirloin, spicy chorizo, chicken with bacon, chicken hearts) and will cut off a chunk of each for
you at your table.
This goes on until you are virtually begging for it to stop. We loved the picanha, tenderloin, skirt (all the steaks are cooked medium rare) and especially the lamb, but the chicken was way too dry.
All of the above can be preceded by cocktails and washed down with some really good and mainly South American wines, which start from £21.65.
The meal ranges from £19.50 (midweek lunchtime) to £32.50 (evening). Puddings (in the unlikely event you have any space left) are around £6 extra – we had the selection of petit fours (good) and the Brazilian creme caramel (strange, came with a banana).
102 George St, Edinburgh, EH2 3DF.
0131 215 1234
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