All-you-can-eat premium meats, served right at your table
Forget your usual barbecue restaurants. If you love Korean BBQ and the like, you know the buffet style makes you go out and into your seats again as you grab more food. And I do find that I spend more time cooking my dinner than eating it, while my clothes absorb the smells and the smoke, so that at the end of the meal I feel hot and oily.
Which is why the restaurant concept of Carne and Caipirinha really appeals to me. I went for this dinner tasting after I showered and I got to have a meal of barbecued meats, without the stink to boot. It had an open air seating, which was very casual and relaxed, with cool air circulating all around.
Brought to you by the crew from Carnivore, Carne and Caipirinha carries the concept of a Brazilian churrascaria, where waiters move around with skewers and slicing the food at your tables. What sets it apart from its other similar counterparts in Singapore is that they are the only one to use charcoal fire to roast their meats.
This is evident in the smoky aroma of the meats we had. They serve several different kinds, familiar meats like pork rib, sausages and ham, but also more exotic ones like beef hump, beef rump cap and chicken heart. Whether or not you are adventurous or like to play safe, there is something for you as long as you love meats.
First timers at this restaurant will probably want to know how to go about having your meals here. Step one, head to their salad bar and you will find a variety of foods to go with your meats. There is a DIY salad section as well as ready-made ones, pastas, rice and their speciality –Pork Feijoada, a traditional Brazilian dish, which is a hearty stew of black beans and pork.
Step two would be the meats of course. Once you are ready and seated at your table, you will find a circular disc that has two distinctive colours, red and green. As the words on the respective sides suggest, flip it to the green to get your meal started and red when you have had enough. Quite like a traffic light.
Almost immediately after I showed the green side a waiter came along and pushed a piece of sausage onto my plate. They are quite prompt and enthusiastic about feeding their patrons so I am guessing those who can really eat will love this.
I was not too bold in my choice of meats, so I had the typical fish, chicken, pork and lamb. They were all very tender, but I loved the incredibly buttery fish. The hams and sausages are easy to eat as well, not bad for kids to have. The lamb and the beef had very robust smells and flavours, so if you are not too fond of the gamey taste I would suggest sticking to the plenty other meats they have.
The fact that they import their chicken and beef from Brazil is the reason; Brazilian beef has a very strong taste as compared to American and Australian ones.
You might be feeling thirsty by now. If you want something alcoholic, go for their Caipirinha ($12), Brazil’s national cocktail made of Cachacas 51 rum, fresh lime and sugar. It was a refreshing and zesty drink, quite welcome after all the meats that we had been eating.
They also serve the Guaraná Antartica ($6), a soft drink produced in Brazil, apparently second only to Coca Cola in the country. Slightly sweet and fizzy, the stark difference it has to other soft drinks is that it did not taste like it was laden with heaps of sugar.
Grilled pineapple and cheese bread is available as well, both a good break from the meaty meal.
For dessert, get the slightly spicy and and refreshing Green Mango with Chilli Padi, which in sorbet form. Spicy ice cream? This one is sure to tickle your taste buds. I loved the sour and spicy combination, as well as the fruity mango flavour.
The regular prices are $24 for children (five to 12 years old) and $49.90 for adults. If you can though, catch their happy hours – 5.30pm to 7pm from Mondays to Saturdays and 5pm to 6pm on Sundays and public holidays. Prices are cheaper at $18 for children and $39.90 for adults.
Overall, if you love meat and buffets, this is a great place to go. The waiters here are really friendly as well, and if you ask them to pose for a photo (while they are slicing the meat onto your plate), they will do so kindly even if they have already been asked to do it many times.
Carne and Caipirinha is helmed by Chef Noelio Scheibel, who has 36 years of experience in the Brazilian churrasco, so you know your stomach is in for a good, authentic, meal when you are here! Perfect for a Friday night out or a weekend dinner!
Expected Damage: $49.90++ per pax
Carne and Caipirinha: Blk 106 Sunset Way, Clementi Street 12, #01-50, Singapore 120106 | Tel: 6464 0478 | Website
