Latest opening: Fazenda London
What: An upmarket rodizio restaurant on the eastern edge of The City on Bishopsgate. Fazenda London is a big deal for Fazenda’s Huddersfield-based parent company Southern Wine Group representing both its debut in London and a shift in strategy. Fazenda’s five existing sites are premium affairs but the group has invested heavily at its latest location to create the most upmarket take on a rodizio - a restaurant that offers a succession of grilled meats carved at table for an all-in price - that has ever been seen on these shores.
Who: Fazenda was launched by Robert Melman and Tomas Maunier in 2010. Both of Argentine descent, the pair met by chance at a food festival in Huddersfield and bonded over their shared heritage and a few bottles of Quilmes. The first Fazenda launched in Leeds and was soon followed by sites in Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. The menu is overseen by executive chef Francisco Martinez, who worked at seminal Spanish restaurant El Bulli in the early 2000s and has gone on to hold senior roles at a number of international restaurant groups including Aqua.
The vibe: Spanning two floors in the 100 Bishopsgate Tower, Fazenda London seats 170-covers in total across a first floor restaurant, a ground-floor bar and lounge and three PDRs. The fit-out is high-spec, with design details including parquet flooring, brown leather banquettes, slatted wooden walls, exposed ducting and lots of plants. Smartly dressed staff wielding big knives patrol the room keeping a close on the brass tokens that guests turn either up or down to signal whether they are game for meat. Rest assured, when the tokens are placed faced up the meat comes thick and fast. Those that don't fancy the rodizio experience can choose from a selection of main course dishes that include confit cod, potato, egg, peppers and black olive; seafood moqueca (a spicy Brazilian stew).
The food: The Fazenda’s further up the country are nearly completely focused on the rodizio model that combines a static salad bar with a dozen or so meats - including various cuts of beef and lamb, sausages and chicken hearts - that circulate around the restaurant (rodizio is Portuguese for rotation). It’s a bit different in London because - prior to the rodizio bit - guests are encouraged to order from a menu of ambitious single-bite dishes and small plates. These include spherified olives that are a nod to Martinez’s time at El Bulli, Cornish Baeri caviar with churros and crème fraiche; and wagyu beef empanadas. Small plates range from about £10 to £20 save a few that contain very premium ingredients with the rodizio experience carrying a pricetag of £50. Much like all-you-can-eat buffets, whether or not this is good value or not depends on how much one manages to put away.
To drink: The wine list at Fazenda London is large and nearly exclusively South American. The document kicks off with a map that outlines the key wine regions of Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Uruguay and provides a fair bit of detail about what one might expect of each of them. Still wines start at around £30 a bottle and there is a good selection of by the glass that includes a number of premium options served via Coravin.
And another thing: It’s only been a week or so since the restaurant launched, but Southern Wind Group already wants to do more in London and is understood to be close to acquiring a second site in the capital.
100 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 1GT
www.fazenda.co.uk
