We put off our visit by a few months because of two reasons. One, Boteco had replaced Permit Room, one of our favourite places, and I was in mourning. Two, given the mortality rates of restaurants in Bangalore, we were waiting to see if it’d survive at least a quarter. It did, and because we heard good things, and also since Commissariat Road is slightly farther off than Rio even by Whitefield standards, we decided to use the low-traffic Independence Day weekend to make the trip. Worked well, because we walked in at 6.50PM for a 7PM reservation, and given old habits, blamed the traffic.
The murals outside as well as the ones on the pillars inside the restaurant all scream Brazil. Christ the Redeemer, the flag, the arches, Copacabana beach, the music and the mosaic all do a lot to create the ambience and feel of a Rio neighbourhood. The plants, some of the wall designs, and the colours also add a tropical touch. All I missed was my youth, when I used to shamelessly walk around inside restaurants and click pics. These days, we are both subdued and discreet. Sigh.
D got herself a Summer Punch, so we could get a taste of Cachaça – a distilled spirit from fermented sugarcane juice. The cocktail also had lime, Butterfly Pea Flower Tea and pickle brine – altogether a refreshing drink. I went for a Fig-Ure Me Out, which, as expected, turned out to be a fig version of the Old Fashioned.
Everything was a must-try since the cuisine was unique, so we had to be very choosy. We began with the Pão de queijo – cheese bread made with tapioca flour and Dutch Gouda cheese. We tried it with a spicy chicken filling, which was moderately spicy and quite tasty. The Roasted Belgian Pork Belly Dumplings had to be tried. The pork, though advertised as spicy, wasn’t, but between the caramel drizzle, and the veg garnish, this wasn’t too bad.
The mains contest finally boiled down to the house special Meatloaf and the Feijoada. Since the latter was the national dish of Brazil, we decided to go for it. The Brazilian version of the originally Portuguese dish is made with black beans. But more importantly, it has pork, pork sausage and bacon. Its look was reminiscent of a mini Khow suey though the taste obviously was vastly different. Served with rice, and an almost tricolour set of condiments, and yes, the orange, we quite liked this though our palate considered it to be on the bland side.
The dessert options were limited, and we tried the Quindim – the Brazilian coconut and egg custard. Again, the flavours were subtle, but we didn’t mind. Middle age!
The portion sizes were actually the right size for us, though this was something we saw lots of murmurs against in reviews. After we saw the giant dessert plate coming towards us, followed by the quick realisation that most of it was white space, I can understand the sentiment. But this isn’t an all-you-can-eat establishment. That too is understandable.
What I didn’t understand though was the service being totally unapologetic about giving us the wrong bill. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, but portraying an SRK attitude of “bade bade deshon mein...” is quite a put off. The (correct) bill left us lighter by Rs.4000. There aren’t a lot of options for this cuisine in Bangalore, so you might as well give it a shot.
Boteco, 16/3, Ground Floor, Commissariat Road, opp Garuda Mall Ph: 08792045444
