On Friday evening we were planning on taking a walk over to the Jewellery Quarter for a bite to eat and some food, but after I left the gym, we met to have a bottle of Friday Fizz at Epernay in The Mailbox.  Before we knew it, it had started to drizzle, and time was getting on.  So instead, we thought we’d eat at Rodizio Rico‘s, a new Brazillian Grill in The Cube building.

The restaurant is very large and busy and there is a vibrant bustle about the place.  As you walk in, the open grill kitchen is on display as the team of chefs skilfully skewer a range of goodies and grill them to meaty perfection.  This is no place for a vegetarian, it’s all about how much meat you can get down your neck before feeling dizzy!  Once seated we ordered some wine (a good selection, reasonably priced) and helped ourselves to the sides from the buffet.  These included salads, slaws, cous cous, prawn stew, some stuff I didn’t recognise, vinegar salads, potato stuff i.e. there was plenty of choice.  They could perhaps do with a few labels that explains what the more exotic items (like cassava) are.

Once settled, the onslaught of the passadors (meat carvers) began.  Basically, the passadors pass from table to table carving large chunks of charcoal grilled meat from skewers directly on to your plate.  Each diner is given a drinks coaster which is green on one side, and red on the other.  Green means Meat Me Up, red means I’m As Full As An Egg.  Although in our experience, despite us having our coasters on “please, no more, I can’t take it” and sweating profusely we were still offered some gorgeous looking protein that was too good to pass up.  So we ate: chicken wings, chicken legs, chicken heart, pork belly, pork steak, pork leg, pork sausage, beef rump, beef rib, leg of lamb…  Finally, once we really couldn’t face any more savoury, we begged for grilled pineapple to finish the meal (this is no longer on the menu but the passador eventually caved as I’d not tried it before and the other half had).

The grill is £23.50 per person, and would definitely in my book count as two very well portioned courses!  If you go, I’d suggest you don’t have a large lunch beforehand, and make no plans for anything after – like a snake you’ll need to sit and digest for a good couple of days!