BahBQ Brazilian Grill

From the street, BahBQ Brazilian Grill presents a rather unassuming exterior. Tucked away in Crows Nest behind some luscious greenery, you’d never expect the gorgeous dining experience that awaits beyond the glass doors.

BahBQ is a Churrascaria, specialising a veritable Noah’s Ark of meats, brought to the table on enormous sword-like skewers. This style of dining has a certain reputation for being rather chaotic, but BahBQ has a spacious and beautifully-decorated dining area that imparts a relaxing and social atmosphere.

To drink we had a couple of Caipirinhas, a traditional Brazilian cocktail containing the spirit Cachaca, which has a similar taste to Tequila. The citrusy and fruity flavours make for a celebratory atmosphere, and at only $15 the big, lavish cocktails are well worth it.

If you opt for the $55 (very reasonably priced considering the generosity of the included food) Churrasco dinner, the first thing with which you’ll be presented are the condiments and sides, which are an event unto themselves. It’s hard to resist filling up on the rich black bean and streaky bacon stew, which is perfectly matched with the herbed rice topped with toasted almonds.

The remainder of the side dishes and condiments – rocket and Parmesan salad, creamy potato salad, fried polenta chips, cassava (a tough and woody root), cheese bread and spiced crumbed banana – are a perfect complement to the main event, but also play an important role in the communal dining experience that BahBQ offers.

There’s a wonderful sense of togetherness in having this smorgasbord of dishes before you, particularly with a large group dining together. Passing dishes back and forth and comparing combinations of sides and condiments makes for a dynamic and fun dining experience.

When the meats and other skewered foods start to arrive, that’s when the fun really begins. Pork, chicken, lamb, beef and prawns are all on the menu in a variety of cuts, including juicy pork sausage and smoky chorizo. Alongside the meat selections are some perfectly grilled haloumi (salty and squeaky as you chew it, just the way it should be) and grilled pineapple flavoured with honey, cinnamon and other flavours.

The grilled dishes are literally bursting with flavor, particularly the lamb rump and the pork belly, which were tender and crunchy in all the right places. Part of the fun is mixing and matching the different types of meat with the condiments - chimichurri, tomato and red pepper salsa, chili jam, roasted cassava Flour and hot chili.

BahBQ also offers some very tempting curiosities in the form of the aforementioned pineapple, which is somehow neither too tart nor sweet, but just right, and chicken hearts, which offer a surprisingly complex flavor in a tiny package

We didn’t have an opportunity to try the a la carte menu, which includes steaks, sandwiches and the like, but judging by the love and care with which the Churrasco selection was prepared, the dishes on that menu are likely to also be of a very high standard.

After the indulgence of the main meal, it seemed that dessert would have to be a let-down, but the dessert we tried was also an absolute winner. A perfectly gooey fondant pudding – rich, but with a delicious underlying bitterness – served with coconut ice cream and salted caramel sauce ended the meal on a high.

BahBQ offers a uniquely relaxed and social dining experience, providing some unusual flavours and dishes without having to pay an exorbitant price. This is definitely the place to head to when you’re in the mood for something special, in the mood to have an easygoing dinner with friends, or when the occasion calls for celebration.