For longtime friends and business partners Anita Chan, Representatives Lorna Silverio and Aleta Suarez, it’s the food that has worked its ineffable charms on them.
"I love Brazilian food," shares Silverio (representing the 3rd District of Bulacan). "There is even a particular restaurant in China that I go to frequently. In Beijing, they are called Latina restaurants. In Shenzhen, there’s a Brazilian place at the Landmark Hotel where I fell in love with the barbecue. So, when my friend Anita Chan brought up the idea of putting up Brazil Brazil, I readily said, ‘Yes, I like the concept.’"
The Brazilian barbecue called churrasco is what Brazil Brazil – located at the Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center – serves. The grilled offerings include beef, lamb, chicken, seafood, ham, sausages, vegetables and even fruits such as pineapples and bananas, among other juicy fare.
"The Brazilian barbecue has a special marinade," explains Silverio. "And the way it is served is unique – the waiters would bring the big skewers to the table." Aye, here’s the twist: Rather than dumping monolithic slices of meat on plates (which almost always metamorphose into leftovers), the waiters offer slim but really generous slices.
"We have a green-and-red yoyo on each of the tables," says Suarez, who has been in the food business since ‘84. "If you want to be served more barbecue, you put the green side on top. If you don’t want to be served anymore (since the waiters will keep coming back with the skewers), you put the red side on top."
So, green means go and, uh, we all know what red means. The yoyo gimmick has been a hit since Brazil Brazil opened last March. "We just thought of it," Suarez adds. "Sometimes, you’ll see customers playing with the yoyos. Not just the kids ha, but the grownups as well (laughs)."
"We charge P460 a head," Silverio says. "People who eat here say it is so cheap. And you know how Filipinos love barbecue, especially during special occasions. Palaging may barbecue sa bahay."
"People love meat," Chan adds. "This is a very good concept, since it is for food-lovers regardless of age. In other restaurants, you usually just get to taste just one course. That’s it – you have to finish the whole portion. But in Brazil Brazil, you get to sample different dishes. If you like one particular meal, you could ask for more."
Those skewered delights are best washed down with Caipirinha (which is Brazilian vodka, crushed ice, sugar and lemon), Caipiroshka and Pitucola cocktails. They also have strong Brazilian coffee.
Aside from those ubiquitous yoyos, customers will notice the restaurant’s red-and-yellow interiors punctuated with colorful grinning and grimacing masks.
"All of us came up with Brazil Brazil’s design," Silverio says. "We chose the colors. Brazil reminds me of carnivals. So, we thought of something happy and festive. We intend to put up more masks."
Barbecue is not all that the restaurant serves. It also purveys salads and lots of entrees.
"We serve international cuisine, including deep-fried pigeon," enthuses Chan, who also owns Macau Pigeon House, which specializes in those sweet and tender birds.
She expounds, "Before, you couldn’t eat that dish in China, so they were exported daily from Shek Kei to Macau. So if you wanted to eat fresh Shek Kei pigeons, you had to go to Macau. The pigeon is grown up to 17 days. The meat is very juicy and tender. And we serve them here."
The three friends and biz partners are glad to report that Brazil Brazil is doing well. In fact, they’ll be opening another branch this October.
"We share the same passion for food," Silverio concludes. "It is very important to believe in what you’re doing. In the future, we might bring our cooks to Brazil, so they would find out how to prepare more Brazilian dishes."
The best compliment the three women get is when they see people enjoying barbecue from time-stopping and blues-curing Brazil.