Had a much better experience than expected!
We were gifted two vouchers for the regular banquet. Looking at the reviews here, we were expecting a pretty bad experience, but we turned out to be very pleasantly surprised. So, although we didn't ourselves pay for this meal, we would have happily and will most likely come again.
Having been quite a few times to a good Brazilian Churrasco restaurant in Brisbane, we were comparing Rios to that, and while it doesn't necessarily feel "authentic" in every aspect, it was nowhere near as bad as some have suggested.
Ambience:
At first it felt a bit awkward, since we were the only ones in the restaurant at 7pm on a Friday night. To be fair though, it was summer and still light outside and the other Church St restaurants weren't exactly swinging yet either. Over time (around 8 o'clock), the restaurant did fill out a bit more with more tables joining, which improved the atmosphere.
The decor is a bit dated and doesn't quite fit with the general vibe of the Church St restaurant precinct. I think some quick wins could be had here by lowering the lighting a bit and reducing the number of tables set out if the restaurant isn't expected to be as busy. This would help create a bit more of an intimate atmosphere, which Brazilian churrasco dining is known for.
Given the size of the dining area, a black or dark-coloured curtain could be pulled across halfway down the room at the beginning of the night, then pulled back if the restaurant started to fill up and more seating was needed. That way you'd avoid the sense of the restaurant being empty.
To be honest, I don't think the entertainment the restaurant sometimes has is really necessary (dancers and DJ). I didn't feel like were were missing anything when it was cancelled for the evening. Again, the atmosphere and experience would benefit more from a more intimate, relaxed setup.
Service:
The staff were really friendly and professional and greeted and served us wonderfully. This included (we're fairly sure) the manager, who throughout the evening seemed genuinely proud of the establishment and eager to please.
We experienced NONE of the rudeness alleged in some of the reviews and found the staff and service to be nothing but friendly, respectful and attentive. We also were not asked to pay cash up from for drinks or pay any deposits upfront, although the online booking website did mention that. Maybe get rid of that from the website if it's no longer expected?
Food:
This was the highlight of the evening and what we were most pleasantly surprised about! Some of the criticisms that have been levelled are technically true, but perhaps the harshness is a reflection of past experiences that people have had here. I get the impression that the restaurant has changed management, because things like only getting one type of meat or the meat being overly salted simply wasn't the case in our experience.
After ordering drinks, the first thing you are served is your cold sides: garden salad, rocket salad, fresh salsa (chopped tomato, spanish onion, coriander, etc) and sauces (very nice chilli sauce, salsa verde and aioli) and potato salad, which I actually found to be as good as the more expensive Churrasco places we've been to and as far as I know, quite authentic. Nothing spectacular, but nice to have a bit of fresh greenery and pretty consistent with what we've been served at other Churrasco restaurants (and the potato salad is great!). We were missing the cassava flour though. :(
Next you're brought your hot sides. Here is where some will be put off. You're served a HUGE plate of chips (fried potato chips as you'd find in most kebab shops or Lebanese/shawarma restaurants), garlic bread (dinner rolls cut in half and spread with garlic butter), cheese bread balls (authentic Brazilian!), big bowl of coconut rice (didn't think this was a Brazilian thing but apparently it is?), and a biiiiiig bowl of black beans. This is all fine and could actually be what Brazilians have as sides.
I think though, it would be better to have smaller bowls of sides, with guests able to request more if they wish. The chips (which are actually good and I'd be happy to have them with a kebab) would probably be better replaced with a few cassava chips, which are a bit more exotic and go nicely with the meat spices. They were also heavily salted, which made us even more thirsty given the hot weather. The waiter kindly brought us a jug of iced water though. The garlic bread is also unnecessary but some may appreciate it.
Which brings us to the main event: the meat.
The meat was amazing.
It started off a bit slow, but picked up and soon were were getting all kinds of skewers of meat coming at us: Beef, lamb, pork neck, chorizo sausage, chicken wing, chicken breast, Portuguese chicken, beef rump steak... We couldn't fit it all in! I don't buy the claim that they are trying to fill you up on sides, they were PLENTY generous with the meat! For the most part it was juicy and tender with a beautifully charred rub/marinade on each. A couple of the meats seemed slightly overdone, but this was probably due to the cut of meat and the way it was seasoned.
By the time dessert (deep-fried banana and grilled cinnamon pineapple) came around, we were absolutely stuffed.
In short, there is certainly room for improvement, but I would absolutely recommend Rios to anyone (except vegetarians. Honestly, what are you doing going to a Brazilian barbeque restaurant if you don't eat meat?).
Thank you for a very pleasant dinner!
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