As we mourn the loss of the Socceroos and continue to enjoy some incredible games of football, today we turn our attention to the food and drink of Brazil – which, thanks to Brazilian Style Imports is easier to experience in Australia than you might think.
Established in 2007, the company now supplies over 500 businesses and thousands of online store customers around the country with some of the most popular Brazilian food products, beverages and equipment sources directly from local manufacturers. One such business is the Bridge St Garage in Sydney – bringing together the flavours of the Americas under one roof. Just as the World Cup was kicking off, I was invited to get a sample of what the Bridge St Garage is able to serve up to its customers every day thanks to the products of the successful company.
First, we started off with the drinks, and you don’t get more authentically Brazilian than a Caiprinha cocktail (recipe below). Made with the Velho Barreiro Cachaça, the national spirit of Brazil and the third most consumed spirit in the world, Brazilian Style Imports (BSI) provide this to bars around the country to ensure the classic cocktail is within easy reach. It’s a delicious drink – almost too easy to drink. Not too sweet, even though it’s made from 100% fresh cut sugar cane juice; a perfect way to start any night.
The Velho Barreiro Cachaça would also be used later in our meal accompanying one of BSI’s other products, the Amazoo Acai Berry Smoothies. Throw in some fresh cream, some mango ice cream and seasonal berries and you have yourself a treat just for adults – though it’s pretty easy to keep it “virgin” for the kids, too. The Cachaça was also used for our desert – a Brownie with the spirit infused in a rhubarb ice cream, accompanied with a chili guava jam, giving it a nice kick, and paçoquina.
Another BSI product is their Tapioca cheese bread, a naturally gluten free snack served all over Brazil. Today the traditional entrée was served with an Argentinian chimichurri sauce. As with any meal, it was important not to eat too many of these treats – served up in the shape of small balls – and spoil ones appetite. But like the best of the breads of the world, it’s difficult to stop chowing on them once you’ve started.
Having never been to Brazil, nor had the pleasure of dining out for authentic Brazilian cuisine – bar the odd flavour here and there – there were a lot of firsts for me tonight, but the highlight of these firsts for me was the Casquinha de Siri. Not related to any Apple product, this traditional Brazilian dish was served up in bite sized form tonight and was mouth wateringly good. Baked in scallop shells, the dish sautées crab meat with coconut milk, Brazilian Dende Oil, tomatoes, bell peppers, parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, sitting atop a citric salad of pomegranate, orange and rocket. The photo doesn’t do this dish justice. A unique mix of flavours take over your palate here as you switch between the parmesan infused crab and the citric salad. It is recommended to try and get a bit of both in the bite… well, I recommend it at least.
For mains, we enjoyed two dishes that Bridge St Garage serve up regularly – their Grilled Chicken and New York Steak. Here, we didn’t find authentic Brazilian cuisine, rather a mix of infuences all made possible thanks to the BSI’s Scheer Rotisseries and Grills. The charcoal grils and Argentinian style Parilla streak grills are made available both for commercial and private clients, eager to replicate the style of cooking not only popular in Brazil but Greece, Urugay, Portgual, Korea and Japan.
The Chicken was marinated overnight in a vacuum sealed container and cooked over Charcoal Parilla – which they insist is the key ingredient here (and you can definitely taste the difference) – served mexican style with a spicy mole sauce, rice and brazilian black beans. The mole sauce sat a little too heavy on the chocolate side of the palate but was otherwise a beautiful meal. Likewise, the steak was mouthwatering. Their grass-fed striploin enjoyed the same charcoal treatment and was served with hand cut chips, beer-battered onion rings and a small coleslaw salad. A little too generous on the sea salt would be my only criticism – but that’s just to personal preference.
The night finished with a demonstration of a variation of the Caipirinha we started the night off with; this time, with Strawberrys. A delicious way to end a meal that was also accompanied by BSI’s imported Miolo wines (the Pinot Noir was excellent), and their Guarana Antartica energy drink.
Larry dined as a guest of the Bridge St Garage and Brazilian Style Imports.
For more about Brazilian Style Imports, which has sales presence in all major cities across the country, head to their official website. And to find out more about Bridge St Garage, you can head to their website HERE. Some of the dishes and cocktails shown above – though prepared by the Garage’s chefs and bartenders for us tonight – are not regular menu items and may not be available.
Bridge St Garage
Address: 17 Bridge St, Sydney NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 9251 9392
Website: bridgestgarage.com.au
Velho Barreiro Cachaça Caipirinha Cocktail Recipe
Pronounced “KAI-PUR-EEN-YA”, Caipirinha is made from fresh lime, muddled with natural sugar, and mixed with Velho Barreiro Cachaça and ice. The Caipirinha is a Brazilian classic.
Other versions of Caipirinhas include your favourite in-season fresh fruit such as strawberry, kiwi, pineapple, watermelon, or passionfruit. Add herbs such as mint for a twist.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lime sliced in 4-6 wedges
2 teaspoons caster sugar
Ice cubes
50mL Cachaça Velho Barreiro
METHOD
1. Remove the ends of the lime
2. Cut the lime in half and remove the bitter centre pit from the lime
3. Slice half of the lime into four wedges
4. Place lime wedges in a glass
5. Add caster sugar to the glass
6. Muddle the lime and sugar in order to extract the juice and essential oils from the skin of the lime
7. Fill the glass with ice cubes
8. Pour the Cachaça all the way to the top of the glass
9. Pour the contents of the glass into a cocktail shaker, shake well and pour it back into the glass.
Alternatively, if you don’t have cocktail shaker, use crushed ice instead of ice cubes and stir into the cocktail thoroughly.
