London's best review, food and drink news
By Chris Moss
On turning up at Raizes, we were faced with the ultimate Brazilian experience. It was the local capoeira club's annual dinner and there were 20-plus lissom hardbodies gathered around a table with their handsome teacher from São Paulo, all focusing on a huge flatscreen TV showing expert movers from the home country.
I suspect the martial artists don't eat at Raizes very often. While our starters of mandioca frita (fried cassava chips) and cozinha (breaded chicken faggot) were fair as far as beer food goes, they were pretty heavy-going. As well as being rather fatty, the food was dry and not particularly flavoursome. Another dish we ordered - torresmo (shredded pork belly with lime) - was substituted by smoked pork sausages without any consultation, and it was tediously untasty.
Three starters were a bit much, so we shared these with a friendly Brazilian woman and asked for a feijoada as a single main course between two - the promise of black beans, pork stew and, according to the menu 'greens' gave some hope. But it was not to be. The feijoada was more of a mush, and the meat didn't come through - again I saw those suspicious sausage discs inside the stew.
The greens were a few shreds of lettuce and were browned off by the bean juice. The desserts came - the choices were 'condensed milk pudding covered with caramel' and 'chocolate condensed with double cream'. Yes, they were quite stodgy and at the end of it I could no more have lifted my leg capoeira-style than I could have scored a Pelé-style goal. By sticking so faithfully to the roots, Raizes offers little in the way of variety, taste or tradition.
Time Out London Issue 1953: January 23-29 2008
|
|
London's best review, food and drink news
|
|
The best of London in your inbox
Up to the minute picks of the best things to do in London, delivered to your desktop.
|
|
Raizes is my little local and as being Brazilian i can tell they serve proper EVERYDAY BRAZILIAN FOOD, the sort of thing I’d have at my grammar’s house or on a Sunday dinner. They still have to learn a lot on service but still they are so friendly that this little detail almost doesn’t count. Brazilian food is heavy and that’s why we tend to have loads of fruit and veggies with and between meals. The price is amazing and I do agree that is very hard to spend £20 per head, my boyfriend is English and love going there…he loves braizlian food and eats like mad…as good as my mum’s food I would say. So I do think that whoever review the restaurant should go out and learn a bit about our food and eating culture, and re-review this restaurant because everyone who goes there enjoy themselves and just find it brill!!!
I complete desagree with what was mencioned in the magazine. I've been there few times and had always a very good food and drinks besides to be in contact to the real brazilian culture and traditions. If the restaurant was so bad like you guys said it wouldn't be always busy as it was when I went there.
The review above does not give the real picture of Raizes! Yes the food is basic, but it is very cheap to eat here. A main course is £5-6! We have eaten here a few times and have never managed to spend more that £20 per head, and that included a substantial number of drinks. Raizes offeres a cheap and cheerful expereince in a freindly atmosphere with lots of Brazilians.