Fazenda in Spinningfields was the venue for a men’s business lunch with a difference as Janet Reeder discovered.
While there is a certain up-market gentleman-clubby appeal to the smart Fazenda Grill in Manchester’s Spinningfields, it wasn’t merely interior design that enticed dozens of high fliers there for the Cheshire Life Men in Business lunch.
The restaurant has been in Spinningfields for two years, winning over diners with a unique eat-all-you-like experience where staff bring out skewers of sizzling meats one by one to each table. The selection is large and the great thing is you can have them all - which is enough to bring out the inner caveman in anyone, male or female.
Sales and Marketing Director Tomas Maunier agrees that Fazenda had the perfect ingredients for a gentleman’s lunch.
‘In people’s mentality Fazenda is definitely more of a men’s brand as there’s a lot of meat involved,’ he laughs.
‘But you would be surprised by how many groups of women come here and how often the booking is done under a woman’s name. They book it for their partners as they want to treat them to something special but of course they love it too.
‘We do something very smart here. We do it in a subtle, elegant and stylish environment which appeals to women as much as it does to men.’
And while the array of different cuts can certainly be the stars of the show, it’s definitely not just a meat-fest. Everything begins at a sides bar where a veritable cornucopia of vegetables, salads, cured meats, cheese, bread, dips and sauces can be piled high on the plate as starters and accompaniments.
Once ready for the meats, the diner controls the service with a double sided card placed on the table. Red means you wish to stop being served for a while and green means ‘yes please!’
Says Tomas: ‘I think what we do, we do right. We care about people, we care about quality and we care about our guests. And because we love what we do, that comes across. When people are here, 99.9 per cent of the time leave with a big smile on their face and when they don’t, it is probably because they ate too much!’
Good wines are always important too, according to Tomas: ‘For us food doesn’t make sense without wine. Red wine and meat were born to be together.’
The red wine served to accompany the full lunchtime experience for Cheshire Life’s selected guests was a well-chosen Catena Zapata Malbec from Argentina, whose concentrated dark fruit aromas, delicate floral notes and rich deep fruity flavours were an ideal match for cuts such as Picanha, Fazenda’s signature rump and the fat marbled Tri Tip or bottom sirloin.
The white wine was also a Catena Zapata from Argentina, a Torrontes, elegant and aromatic with plenty of floral aromas that matched lighter meat such as the marinated and tender chicken thighs, as well as the fish, vegetarian and vegan meals that are also included in the restaurant’s extensive menu.
Guests were welcomed at Fazenda’s superbly stocked bar with a glass of Jeio Prosecco, also Argentinian in origin, although some guests opted for a beer before the main event.
For those who could manage something sweet to end the meal, a selection of four Brazillian classic mini desserts and coffees brought a memorably enjoyable lunch to a very satisfying conclusion.
Details
Fazenda Rodizio Bar & Grill
The Avenue, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3AP 0161 207 1183 www.fazenda.co.uk
Opening Times
Monday-Sunday: 12-3pm; 5pm-10pm
Sunday 12-3pm; 5pm-9pm
To begin
A selection of delicious sides from the gourmet bar, including salads, fresh cut vegetables, cured meats, bread, continental cheeses and traditional Brazilian Feijoada (bean stew with meat).
To continue
Radiccio, pomegranate and orange blossom salad
For mains
A choice of eight meat cuts, Picanha - cap of rump; Alcatra - rump; Sobrecoxa de Frango - chicken thighs; Cordeiro -lamb; Barriga De Porco - pork belly; Linguica Gaucha - pork sausages; Tri Tip - bottom sirloin; Presunto Com Abacaxi - gammon with pineapple.
To Finish
A selection of four Brazillian desserts: Chocolate Brigadeiro, Coconut Quindim, coffee Panna Cotta, Passion Fruit Brulee
To drink
Jeio Prosecco
Catena Zapata Malbec
Catena Zapata Torrontes
On the menu
Lunchtime selection - weekdays £17.50; weekends and bank holidays, £19.50.
Evening selection - Monday-Sunday £29.50
