Sabor the flavour

Sabor Brazil has gone upmarket, but the food doesn't quite live up to the flamboyant decor or the excellent service, writes EOIN HIGGINS

THE DECOR AT Sabor Brazil is a reflection of head chef Marco De Paulo’s heritage. The Brazilian ex-pat’s hometown of Ouro Preto was once the source of most of the world’s gold. It was also, and still is, the location of one of the world’s largest areas of baroque urban design. De Paulo’s restaurant, on an unassuming Dublin side street, may be one of the world’s smallest. To say that Liberace on his way to Mardi Gras would find the decor here excessive is a tad understated, and that may be the only understatement one may attach to a restaurant that is over-the-top in every conceivable physical way, apart from its size.

It’s that over-the-top bijou interior that makes it a weirdly entertaining proposition. That, and the fact that the proprietors are clearly very passionate about the enterprise, a passion that is most evident in the service and enthusiasm of head waiter, maitre d’, and co-owner Tom Neary, who waxes lyrically about the menu, the food and Brazil like an over zealous, yet charming evangelist.

Curlicues, flourishes and Brazilian evangelism aside, the other thing that stands out is the fact that there is room for only 10 punters in this small room. One of the waiters indicated that the upstairs area also had seating, but there was none set up on our visit. I don’t know how a restaurant can survive these days on 10 punters a night. The night we were there, a Thursday, there was just two others and us. And the prices aren’t particularly steep, so I’m sure there isn’t much room for a vast mark-up either. You’d have to wonder about the mathematics of profit, loss and survival here.

To start, we were given a dessert glass filled with cubes of a semi-hard cheese and apple slices and some bread. Next up was another pre-starter of dried meat and pumpkin soup, served in a coffee cup on a saucer. It was an enjoyable hot, rustic soup, but we began to fear that we would soon run out of appetite when the waiter brought out some Pao de Queijo, a chewy, cheesy Brazilian bread roll that we both used to swab our coffee cups clean.

The wine offering was unusual. They have topped a baroque (of course) sideboard with around 30 or so wines of various colours and creeds, all priced at €30, and you can pick whatever catches your eye. This is a great idea, as often a wine list is, well, just a wine list: how much better to see each label, be able to to pick up the bottle and examine it before purchasing. They also select a wine of the night which is typically less expensive, at around €24. We chose a jammy Catalan Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Ramón Roqueta (€30), and it was fine.

Eventually, our starters proper turned up and thankfully our hunger hadn’t evaporated completely. We ordered Mandioca frita (€5) for me, and chicken-filled pastries (€6) for my companion. Presentation was, like everything else, unnecessarily extravagant, much effort had been put in, and of course that is appreciated. However, just as the clothing must suit the man, the presentation should suit the food, and this was the dinner equivalent of Brian Cowen in lingerie. Both dishes were still enjoyable though, particularly the mandioca frita, a vegetable that is somewhere between a potato and a parsnip, deep-fried like a French fry and served with a delicious herby pâté. My companion’s pastries were also very good.

Main courses were also inappropriately dressed. My companion’s feijoada (€18), a hearty, traditional Brazilian black bean stew served with seasoned rice and green cabbage, was wonderfully soothing, if a little hard to finish after so much starter ballast. We very much enjoyed it. For me, less fortune came my way. Most main courses are priced at €18, yet I decided to try the most expensive, to get an idea of Sabor Brazil’s higher end. My lobster with pineapple risotto (€35) was definitely not my favourite dish of all time. Sadly, the lobster had reached a bouncy, rubbery state. The accompanying fruits of the sea and pineapple risotto was heavy and dense, and a flavour combination that I really didn’t enjoy.

Desserts, at €5 each were just ok. Of the two, a kind of Brazilian millefeuille apple crumble was best received. Dinner for two with wine and one coffee came to €106.40. ehiggins@irishtimes.com