Spirito's "Favela Chic" Evening Brunch & Thursday Eve Brunch

Our journey to Spirito's Favela chic brunch marked something of an achievement at Mr & Mrs Brunch HQ. We can now officially say that we have dined at every single one of Media One's F&B Outlets, both hotel owned and 3rd party managed, including both the daytime and evening Brunches at the Dek on 8, the new Thursday evening Brunch at the same outlet, the Cheese & Wine Night down in Café: M and post drinks in Z:One, Brunch at Crab Tavern, Brunch at Q43 and finally…the Brunch at Spirito. (High Five!)

The Food

We should begin by admitting that this was not our first visit to Spirito. Our previous visit was during the restaurants soft launch period and they were still ironing out a few kinks in both the service and the preparation of some of the menu items so we were intrigued to see how the new carnival party brunch would fare with a few months under its belt.

The Starters come in the form of a Sharing platter for two, made up from a selection of the restaurants street food inspired small dishes. These included the Pastel de carne, or deep fried meat parcels which are one of the most loved bar foods in Brazil. This small savory pastry is usually served inside small baskets, deep fried and ordered by the dozen or half dozen. The Grelhado de frango (Grilled Chicken skewers), Camaro alho e oleo (Smoked Chili shrimp sautéed with garlic and olive oil), Lula adore (Fried Calamari), Ceviche de bacalhau (Ceviche of Cod, Banana, Heart of Palm & Cashew nuts), Azeitonas (Marinated rosemary & chili olives) & Banana frita with Guava Dip which completed the eclectic lineup of delicacies which gave you a true taste of Brasilia on a plate.

We were actually fit to burst by the time we had finished our sharing platters as between our table of 4, we managed to find at least 2 dishes each that we were utterly addicted to and ended up devouring the equivalent of 4 portions instead of the intended one…in our case it was the Smoked Chilli Shrimp and the Savoury pastries as the meat inside was simply divine. A mini Brazilian pastie if you will. Our feeling of fullness temporarily abated, we moved onto the main courses of which you are able to select from a list of 8, which would then be served with a bowl of Salad, Cassavaa chips, or Brazilian rice.

We went for the Picanha Molho a Campanha, complete with our proud, yet less than perfect Portuguese pronunciations. The Rump Cap Steak with Mango Salso was cooked to the perfect "medium," succulent inside, crisp around the edges and just the way I like it. The Grelhado de Cordeiro (Lamb Rump Skewers with Capers & mint Salsa) were presented well without ever pushing too many flavour boundaries… as one of our guests commented that she could have bought these ready packed from "Spinneys." The Vatapa de Camarao (Cajun Shrimp with Coconut stew and cashew nuts) were draped seductively over the edge of the soup bowl, which itself was a beautiful lava like colour and consistency from the red palm oil - and had a delicate yet distinctive flavor. Our final guest pondered over the Bebeterraba e Queijo azul Risoto (Beetroot and Blue Cheese Risotto with Cashews) before finally deciding on a meaty U-turn of Carioca de Frango Piri Piri (Piri Piri Chicken with Roasted peppers and cream sauce) and was mightily pleased that she did.

For dessert, we were able to select between a sharing cheese board, a Torte bon-bon or a Pineapple and Chilli Mousse. Unfortunately, due to both the quantity of food consumed during the previous courses, and the time of night it was fast approaching (nearly midnight), not one of our table were actually able to muster the strength to order the final course. Instead, we made our doleful excuses to the waitress and resigned ourselves instead to finishing off our meals with a sugary caipirinha and a steadfast resolution to return at a later date and finish off our epic Brazilian Battle.

The Drinks

As mentioned above, we finished off our meal with a Caipirinha, Brazils national cocktail made with Cachaca, sugar, lime and love apparently. The package is also inclusive of unlimited Spirito Sangria, House Beverages and Sparkling Wine. We were also treated to a giant purple cocktail and various Blue shots throughout the night as the fiesta spirit continued to build. The cocktails were a major dissapointment on our last visit and we were relieved to see that the bar staff seemed to have been given a much needed jolt up the proverbial both in terms of speed and quality of service.

The Other Stuff

Spirito itself is a dark, sensual and flamboyantly coloured space with Brightly Colored graffiti walls, a rainbow ceiling and trios of mismatched chandeliers which loom dramatically from it's low ceiling. Although everything seems mismatched, from the tables and chairs, to the differently coloured plates and even the random "Aladdin" style pants the waiters bound about in, the sum of all these unique qualities somehow add up to something quite enchanting.

We arrived for the second installment of the Favela Chic Brunch which runs from 8pm - 12 midnight, and the lateness is a mixed blessing in itself we feel. At a certain point in the evening, (most people say past 10pm) our "foodie" brains transform into our "party" brains, and one cannot exist in perfect harmony with the other. This was the reason we were unable to finish the third course as doing so would undoubtably bring on the inevitable occurance of the food coma, even with the soundtrack of authentically Brazillian Latin Jazz, Latin House, Bossa Nova, Samba and Reggae booming away in the background. I dare say we would have fared slightly better at the daytime edition, but each to their own (we are really starting to show our age!)

If you are one for formalities, classic cuisine, and uniformity, and the idea of playing mix and match with your chairs before your meal, choosing an entire menu of dishes that you have never heard of before let alone pronounce and abandoning said meal half way through to join in a mesmerizing trio of latin dancers as they bring the carnivale to your table, then you should probably steer clear of the Favela chic brunch…otherwise, Get into the Spirito!

Overall, this lively, lighthearted brunch is a great way to experience the blend of typical street food delicacies and the atmosphere of the carnival in Rio, all from the comfort of your perfectly mismatched chair.

Every Friday from 1-5pm or 8pm-12 midnight

AED 350 for soft drinks and AED 450 for caipirinha, sangria, house beverages & sparkling

-OR -

Every Thursday from 7-10pm

3 Course set menu & House Beverages = AED 295

Call 044212679 OR email reservations@spirito.ae