Boteco brings a little bit of Brazil to Bengaluru

Every community needs an ‘adda’ and in Brazil it is ‘boteco’ — a place where one can chew the fat and pass the peace pipe with friends and family. At the recently launched Boteco in Bengaluru, one can relish the best of Brazilian cuisine, created and plated by the skilled hands of Chef Guto Souza, whilst luxuriating in a little quality time.

Chef Guto Souza in action
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

There is much about Brazilian cuisine that will sit comfortably on the Indian palate and a lot more that will tantalise the tastebuds into setting off on a South American adventure. Although at first glance the menu card might seem peppered with tongue twisters, the descriptions are spot on and ordering should not be a problem.

Begin with the starters. Do not let the words cheese bread fool you into thinking the pao de queijo is garlic bread’s Brazilian cousin. Far from it. Cheese bread is not bread per se — it is a bite-sized bun (Indian pav, ring any bells?) filled with the goodness of cheese. Not the oozy, drippy kind but a flavourful, melt-in-your-mouth sort. And since it has been kneaded from cassava flour and is gluten free, one can sit back with a plateful of pao and a tall glass of Caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail, but that would be a crime considering the spread that awaits.

Cha-Preto, Brazil’s communal drink
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Both caipirinha and the cha-preto, a communal drink, use cachaça — a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice — as their base. Subtly potent and not too sweet, it naturally pairs well with the food served.

To ease you into the flavours of Brazilian fare, other starters include the chicken coxinha which is rather like a samosa, bolinho de aipim — deep-fried cassava and cheese croquettes and the bruschetta de inquica — French baguette bread topped with pork sausages. While it may seem the food is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are a myriad vegetarian options as well.

Polenta cream with mushroom ragu
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

For instance, the polenta cream and mushroom ragu, and the beetroot ravioli are a delight, both to see and taste. “Brazilians love rice and a lot of our food is similar to Indian cuisine,” says Guto, a fact cautious eaters will be glad to know. The curry baiano is proof enough. From Bahia, a north eastern state of Brazil, it is a delicately spiced curry of vegetables, potatoes, mushrooms and paneer served with rice.

“Instead of garam masala, we use fresh herbs, spices and paprika, but all the rest — ginger, garlic, chillies, coconut milk — remains the same.” he says. And it’s true. The casquinha de siri — crab meat sautéed with coconut milk, palm oil, tomatoes and paprika — could be a dish from along India’s coastline, with the exception of its cheese topping.

Beetroot Ravioli
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Then there is farofa, best described as podi to a South Indian audience. Toasted cassava flour is a constant at any Brazilian barbecue and a fried onion version of farofa is present on Boteco’s meat and seafood platters.

There is a justified buzz when the meat platter arrives. Succulent morsels of tenderloin steak, pork sausages, pork wrapped with bacon, rump steak, grilled chicken and prawns, vie for your attention while the grilled zucchini, sweet com, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and paprikas are not to be left behind either. The tantalising array of sauces on the platter do not make it any easier — a butter, thyme and cognac-infused sauce, roasted red pepper sauce, pineapple salsa, cassava mash — a few unexpected delights that add to this gastronomic affair.

Guto, who believes the original taste of any meat must be retained, does not use marinades. “I just use sea salt to enhance the taste of the meat and top it off with flavoured butters.”

Mixed meat grill
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Some of the desserts may seem familiar but the quindim, baked custard with fresh coconut, and the lemon mousse are highly recommended. Even those who are not fans of custard will enjoy this confection as well as the mousse for the fresh burst of flavour, minus the eggy aftertaste (or smell!) that usually accompanies custard. Made with his mother’s special recipe, Guto says they are a throwback to his childhood memories. “I love quimdim! Again a dish from Bahia, it is a simple dessert but the freshness of coconut imparts an amazing flavour.”

Great food, great company and the leisure to enjoy both; a visit to Boteco must not be rushed.

Boteco is at 16/3, Magrath Road, opposite Garuda Mall, Bengaluru. Meal for two ₹ 1800+ taxes without alcohol, ₹ 2500+ taxes with alcohol

Meet the chef: Guto Souza

“Chillies came to India from Brazil while cashews reached our tables from India,” says Guto. Talking with the man is a delightful lesson in history, geography and gastronomy; school was never this fun. Brazil is a melting pot of different cultures — Asian, African and European — and it reflects in its cuisine. “Do you know we have the best offering of Lebanese and Japanese cuisine in the world apart from those countries?”

Chef Guto Souza
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

“I’ve always been fascinated with watching my Mum cook and even as a five-year-old I would ask her to teach me,” he says, admitting that his foray into serious cooking began only when he was about 18. “I was living with my cousin who taught me a few things and I was beginning to get the vibe of creating in the kitchen. One day while he was at work I came across a photo of a fish dish in a magazine. It was just so beautifully put together, I just had to make it myself. So I went to the store, sourced the ingredients and replicated the dish. When my cousin got home that night, he was zapped,” he laughs.

“That was my first proper dish and it was a beautiful thing for me.”

“I moved to India in 2004 because I wanted to learn how to cook Indian food and I’ve learnt to make a lot curries.” His passion took him to Goa where he made the acquaintance of legendary cartoonist Mario Miranda. “He was a wonderful person and even though he was much older than I, we shared a wonderful friendship. I’d enjoy a meal at his home at least once a week and he has sketched my daughter. His wife, Habiba Hydari, taught me how to make lamb biryani — one of the Indian dishes I learned quite early.”

While garlic and thyme are two of his favourite ingredients, Guto loves the flavour of cardamom, a taste he acquired in India. “If you use it well, just a little bit of cardamom can transform a dish,” he says.

“In Brazil we have a snack called pastel — it’s dough stuffed with meat and deep fried. My mum used to make this for us with leftover dough and when I came across a puri stand in Goa, I was so excited that I simply gorged on them,” he says, adding that those memories have been immortalised in the Boteco menu as the camarao Copacabana — a small puri topped with spicy tomato sauce, prawn, aioli and pineapple chutney — at the Pune, Mumbai and Bengaluru locations.

“This dish is a big hit in the restaurant and people really love it. And I always tell the story because they don’t understand why I have a puri in my menu.”

Chef Guto
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Though whipping up delicacies is child’s play for him today, Guto says his comfort food is egg fried rice.

There is fondness in his voice and nostalgia when he talks about his mother’s lemon mousse recipe. “Actually, my mother used to make it as a tart. For me, it’s not just the taste; that burst of citric freshness is more of a memory. We were four kids growing up and my mom would barely set the bowl down before we tackled it with our spoons. Sometimes a taste or a scent can transport you and this lemon mousse takes me back to my mom and her cooking.”

Needless to say, while everyone loves Guto’s cooking, he prefers his mother’s. “She’s back home in Brazil and she still cooks,” he says, admitting that though no dish is now too challenging, “there are some things that she cooks that I have never even tried. I know I can do it but I don’t try because I don’t want the magic to disappear.”