Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Enter Perth's meat mecca

Vegetarians you might as well click to the next post right about now because Lapa Brazilian BBQ is not for you… or the faint hearted!

A famous neighbourhood in Rio De Janeiro, Brasil, Lapa is known as the cradle of Bohemian Rio.

Tucked away just off Axon Road in Subiaco, this clean and bright churrascaria (roughly translated from Portuguese it means BBQ house) offers an endless feast of meat! Yes it includes salads and sides including delicious little cheese balls, but save your space for the 16 courses of pure chunk.



Some form of succulent meat...

At $49 per person, Lapa is pretty reasonable when comparing to what an average meal these days costs, especially when this is all you can eat with 16 different cuts of meat! You can have filet argentino (Argentinian scotch fillet), costela de porco (pork belly rib) or alcatra de carneiro (lamb rump) to name a few.

The wait staff will bring meat over on a spit, saw through the meat, you catch it with your thongs, then proceed to engulf the juicy specimen… flawless system! After a while you stop asking what meat it is. I won’t lie I felt a little heart string pull when a waiter came over with four sticks full of chicken hearts because it pretty much looked like an entire generation of chickens would’ve been sacrificed to fill them… but they tasted so good!!

Chef Fabio has had the churrasco (BBQ cooking style) tradition stretching back more than 60 years so he knows his stuff. Plus in this restaurant the kitchen is in full view both through glass window and on a plasma screen *awkward*.

Despite feeling ill after we all consumed about 1kg of meat each that heavy Sunday, I am definitely going back to Lapa. The staff are friendly and helpful – although some may struggle with the accents – plus on weekends I hear they have dance performances!

A word of caution: Your drink coaster plays an essential role in your dining survival. One side is green, the other red. If you keep the green side facing up… they’ll just keep on serving you!! So have that red side ready!! I’ve never heard of anyone overdosing from meat consumption but I’d imagine it would be ugly!



Lapa Brazilian BBQ
Open for dinner daily and Friday to Sunday for lunch
375 Hay Street, Subiaco
08 9381 1323
Lapa.net.au

Lapa Brazilian Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Some good tucker

What was that? Panfried chorizo, white beans and crispy pork belly with spanish onion and a fried egg on top? Yes please!

Crispy pork belly on apple and walnut coleslawPanfried chorizo, white beans and crispy pork belly with spanish onion and fried egg

 I love a pleasant surprise upon entering a new venue, and the upside-down pot plants hanging from the Tuck Shop's ceiling weren't it. When I ordered my orange juice the waitress informed me that their oranges were not only peeled but they were stripped of all their pith before juicing as well (that white stringy stuff!). I'm not sure if it was psychological, but the juice did taste super awesome that day! Very... orange!

The decor is clean and crisp, the ambiance is relaxed yet lively and the service is attentative. I was very happy with my panfried chorizo but the crispy roast pork belly with apple and walnut coleslaw is also divine. Self-labelled as a cafe/pie house/delicatessen, The Tuck Shop is a place for breakfast, brunch and lunch.


The Tuck Shop

If you do wish to try one of their exquisite pies don't venture there too late in the day because they sell out! The one I wanted did anyway *sad face*.


The Tuck Shop
Open Tuesday to Sunday 7am until 4pm
178 Newcastle Street, Northbridge
08 9227 1659

The Tuck Shop Cafe on Urbanspoon