Brasil Stone Grill
I was very excited about visiting Brasil Stone Grill after reading this post by chowtimes. Unfortunately the menu has changed slightly and the prices have gone up. While the prices are still within reasonable boundaries, it just doesn't seem like as good a deal as before. The place is really small, so it was almost packed full when we arrived. The service was friendly albeit slow and unprofessional as the waitress didn't have very good English. She kept repeating the items we ordered to make sure she got it right and we didn't get our water until 10 minutes after we had placed our orders. We also had to ask for cutlery, and even then were only given one set. The first items to come were the coxinhas ($2) and the risoles ($2). I had expected a slightly larger portion since $2 apiece is rather expensive.
The coxinhas is a fried breaded chicken ball. It was unsurprisingly very oily. While it was not bad, it was also nothing you wouldn't expect — chicken meat inside a ball of batter.
The risoles is a dumpling with a choice of meat or cheese filling. We opted for meat, but I think we got cheese instead... Just like the coxinhas, it was ok but nothing out of the ordinary.
The picanha ($18.99) is the most expensive item on the menu, but the portion is definitely more than enough for one person. The beef came sizzling on a hot stone slab. It was lightly seasoned with coarse sea salt which brought out the flavour of the meat. I was worried the beef would be tough from continuously cooking on the hot stone, but it was actually very tender and juicy.
The steak came with rice, fries, cassava flour, tomato salsa and fried banana, as well as a steaming bowl of black bean stew. The tomato salsa was very refreshing because of the sourness from the vinegar. The beans went well with the cassava flour and the fried banana was mushy but tasty. I didn't like the fries though, as they were too thin and a bit overcooked.
The pao de queijo ($4) or baked parmesan cheese balls impressed me most. They took around 15 minutes to prepare and came piping hot from the oven. The texture was like a chewy mochi ball with a faint hint of parmesan. It was unlike anything I've tasted before, so I think it's worth a try.
Another unique item was the bolo prestigio ($3.75), a rich chocolate cake with coconut shreds as filling. The cake was soft and moist with a rich chocolate flavour that wasn't overbearing. It wasn't too sweet and had a light and fluffy texture, so it wasn't too heavy as a dessert. The coconut filling was quite a bit sweeter, but that worked out perfectly with the cake.
I was particularly impressed by the parmesan cheese balls and the chocolate cake. The other items were not bad, but there are a lot of other options in downtown given the recently increased prices here. Still this is not a bad place to grab some authentic Brazilian snacks.
The coxinhas is a fried breaded chicken ball. It was unsurprisingly very oily. While it was not bad, it was also nothing you wouldn't expect — chicken meat inside a ball of batter.
The risoles is a dumpling with a choice of meat or cheese filling. We opted for meat, but I think we got cheese instead... Just like the coxinhas, it was ok but nothing out of the ordinary.
The picanha ($18.99) is the most expensive item on the menu, but the portion is definitely more than enough for one person. The beef came sizzling on a hot stone slab. It was lightly seasoned with coarse sea salt which brought out the flavour of the meat. I was worried the beef would be tough from continuously cooking on the hot stone, but it was actually very tender and juicy.
The steak came with rice, fries, cassava flour, tomato salsa and fried banana, as well as a steaming bowl of black bean stew. The tomato salsa was very refreshing because of the sourness from the vinegar. The beans went well with the cassava flour and the fried banana was mushy but tasty. I didn't like the fries though, as they were too thin and a bit overcooked.
The pao de queijo ($4) or baked parmesan cheese balls impressed me most. They took around 15 minutes to prepare and came piping hot from the oven. The texture was like a chewy mochi ball with a faint hint of parmesan. It was unlike anything I've tasted before, so I think it's worth a try.
Another unique item was the bolo prestigio ($3.75), a rich chocolate cake with coconut shreds as filling. The cake was soft and moist with a rich chocolate flavour that wasn't overbearing. It wasn't too sweet and had a light and fluffy texture, so it wasn't too heavy as a dessert. The coconut filling was quite a bit sweeter, but that worked out perfectly with the cake.
I was particularly impressed by the parmesan cheese balls and the chocolate cake. The other items were not bad, but there are a lot of other options in downtown given the recently increased prices here. Still this is not a bad place to grab some authentic Brazilian snacks.
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