A RESTAURANT with a menu that mainly features meat may seem like a funny choice for a party that contained a strict none red meat eater but
Launched at the back end of last year, Meet is a fairly new addition to the now thriving Ropewalks area, following on from the success of its sister restaurant, Meet Argentinian, on Brunswick Street, which has a three-week waiting list for its busiest nights.
Looking forward to a catch-up out- side the office, I and three friends dec- ided to try out the newish venue and grab a quick bite and a gossip after work.
As well as a menu filled with authentic Brazilian dishes, particularly tempting is the buy one get one free offer on all courses, as well as a free glass of pink bubbly on Tuesdays, from 5-7pm.
Although a row of Brazilian flags marks the entrance of the converted building, the decor inside is relatively simple.
Coloured lights glow behind the white curtains that hang behind the upstairs dining area, while booths line the sides of the downstairs bar.
We decided to share two starters between all of us and so went for the Pastel de Quejo (£3.50) and the Salsicha Grehada (£4.25).
Unfortunately, there was some confusion along the way and the waiter brought us one of the wrong dishes. Instead of the Pastel de Quejo, deep fried cheese and palm hearts served with red onion chutney, we were given the Pastel de Frango (£3.75), a similar sort of dish but stuffed with chicken and sweetcorn.
This would have been a problem if we were vegetarian, but as we are not, we ate them without complaint, finding the parcels nice and crispy and packed full of filling.
The Salsicha Grehada were crostini topped with a tasty combination of spicy sausage and soft goat's cheese. They were served with a red pepper tapenade that sweetened the salty flavour. From the simple laminated cardboard menu, we chose a variety of main courses.
I went for the Viera Ao Molho De Alho (£12.95), a bowl of succulent scallops in a sauce made from cachaca, a Brazilian alcohol made from sugarcane juice.
The sauce was satisfyingly creamy but not too sweet, and contained juicy pieces of Parma ham which brought out the muted flavour of the scallops. It was served with rice and a generous portion of salad.
Having tasted Brazilian food on several occasions before, one of my friends requested the Feijoada (£8.95) via her mobile phone as she finished work later than us and didn't want to miss out on the meal. According to the menu, this is Brazil's national dish, a stew made of smoked sausage, pork, beef, bacon and black beans.
It was served with Brazilian rice and curly kale as well as a portion of Caldo Picante, a sort of spicy dip.
While a very substantial portion, she felt the presentation made it appear as numerous meals on one plate.
The black bean stew with the meat in it was tasty, she declared.
But I would have preferred the meal without the breaded sausage meat on the side.
However, she added that salad and rice were also good and she liked the pieces of orange on the side which were very refreshing.
All in all, she concluded, you wouldn't go away hungry but it wasn't the best plate of food I've ever tasted. The other two chose the Picanha (£8.95), an 8oz sirloin steak served with Brazilian rice, beans and kale, which is also available as two larger cuts 16oz and 24oz and the Salmao Ao Molho De Alho (£10.95).
The steak was cooked to a medium degree as requested and was a nice thick piece of meat that proved to be very juicy. Meanwhile, the salmon came in a garlic and chilli sauce, again served with Brazilian-style rice and mixed leaves and topped with prawns.
My friend was thrilled with the texture of the fish, which she described as melt in the mouth, but the sauce, though very creamy, did not have the kick she would have expected.
Despite the initial mix-up, the service was efficient and friendly but not rushed, leaving us plenty of time to catch up on all the office gossip.
With the discount, the bill came to just £47.15 around £12 each including a bottle of white wine so we finished much heavier in stomach but only marginally lighter in wallet. read more