Hmmm....what's for dessert?
My buddy Bob was visiting London this week and as Picanha was fresh on my mind I suggested we pay a visit to Rodizio Rico.
Bob is a man after my own heart. He lives in Italy in a town called Breganze, which is not far from where I lived. When I lived in Italy we frequently ate out together and it was not unusual for Bob to eat over a kilo of beef in a single sitting. Bob is American and frequently visits the US Airforce base in Vicenza to pick up vast supplies of Porterhouse steak for the deep freeze. Beef is important to Bob, so when he visits London we always take the time to visit one of London’s many steak shops.
I’d heard good things about Rodizio Rico and was really looking forward to eating there. I booked a table at the Westbourne Grove location, which is situated between Bayswater and Notting Hill.
That part of London is a hotpot of multicultural cuisine. As you walk down Westbourne Grove you’ll see pretty much every major type of global food represented in some way. Sadly the majority of restaurants are distinctly average and lack authenticity.
The inability of restaurateurs to replicate the ambiance and cuisine of their native country abroad is something that baffles and annoys me. It really should not be difficult to take a concept that works well in one country and apply it to another. Yet somehow so many restaurants fail in this respect. In London I can think of only a handful of good restaurants that genuinely compete with their native counterparts.
To keep such establishments in check I’ve created a rating system to measure how well they’re doing their job. It’s called the M.E.A.T score.
M is for Meal. This rating is based on how well the restaurant prepares and serves the dishes in accordance with their local traditions. It considers ingredients, cooking methods and preparation.
E is for Environment. A score given to restaurants based on their efforts conveying their native culture. It’s about the design of the venue. And of course the authenticity.
A is for Atmosphere. This score is given to how relaxed and happy customers appear to be. Do they look like they are enjoying themselves? Collectively do they convey a positive feeling about the place?
T is for Team. This refers to the staff of the restaurant. Are they from the native country? Do they speak the language? Do they know anything about the food they’re serving?
All metrics are scored out of 10 giving a final score out of 40. Anything over 30 is respectable. Between 20-30 is acceptable…just. Less than 20 and I start getting flustered.
Never judge a cook by it's cover
On paper Rodizio Rico should be most carnivores idea of heaven. For the very reasonable price of £22.50 customers are treated to the ‘eat as much as you desire prime cut BBQ meats, salads and hot dishes’ menu. The format is simple – grab a plate and fill it with the side salad of choice, then take a seat and wait for meat to be delivered to your table. The over zealous waiters at Rodizio Rico don’t waste anytime in filling the bellies of their customers. In fact it seemed that not a minute passed without one or other of them arriving table side and flopping a slither of meat onto our plates.
At first I appreciated their enthusiasm but after a few mouthfuls of the beef I quickly realised that the cuisine was a far cry from what I remembered from my Brazil trip. The meats were cooked on a horizontal rotating grill similar to the Churasscuria’s of Brazil. However from a taste perspective the meal was not great. The meat was average quality and the cooking technique resulted in most of the meats having a tough and chewy texture. Even the specialty Picanha was not up to scratch. An opinion shared by my eating partner.
The quantity of meat certainly does not make up for the lack in quality so for the Meal score I am awarding Rodizio Rico only 4 points.
In terms of environment sadly Rodizio Rico falls into the ‘relying on stereotypes’ category. Soon after we arrived a projector-screen was lowered from the ceiling and a Brazilian music video started playing. I don’t remember video screens in any of the Churasscuria’s I visited in Brazil so why have them in London?
The decor of the restaurant was evidently trying to come across as authentic Brazilian but you get the feeling that it’s trying too hard. Brazil is not about chintzy paraphernalia. It’s far more understated than that. To convey the genuine Brazilian ambiance Rodizio Rico should take a leaf out of Favela Chic’s book.
No points for effort I’m afraid. A measly 4 points are awarded for environment.
There’s no doubting Rodizio Rico appeals to the masses. I’ve been told about the place by at least a dozen mates in the past year or two, all of whom spoke favourably of it. And they’ve recently opened a new location in the O2 centre so business must be going well enough.
The atmosphere in the Westbourne Grove restaurant was fun and people certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves. I think it’s the uniqueness of the restaurant that appeals to people. Whilst Rodizio Rico didn’t appeal to me it obviously does to others, so in term of atmosphere I’m awarding them a respectable 8 points.
The final score is awarded based on the performance of the staff. We were greeted nicely enough on arrival, but overall I was not impressed with how well we were dealt with. Points are immediately deducted for the heavy handed waiting staff who seemed more interested in offloading their meat onto our plates than knowing or caring about what it was they were serving us. We asked several questions about the food we were being served but the waiters did not seem to know a great deal about the menu.
After the meal Bob tried to strike up a conversation with one of the waitresses, though she was even less interested in speaking to us than the waiters were in telling us about the food. The chef controlling the Rodizio managed a smile when I asked for a photo but that was about the extent of it.
I’m sure they were all nice enough people but the lack of knowledge and interaction means a score of only 3 in the team category.
The total M.E.A.T score for Rodizio Rico therefore stands at 21 – the lower end of acceptable and not really a great result.
Verdict: Bahia beats Bayswater. Hands down.
