TOM PARKER BOWLES finds a Brazilian restaurant that feels more like a house party tucked away in North West London
Climate, geography and history: the building blocks of any national food culture, the beginning, the middle, if not the end.
Meaning that the more diverse the climate, the more varied the geography and the more convoluted the history, the greater the chance of lots of lovely things to eat. And Brazil, the fifth-largest country in the world, has it all.
Climates (five of them), geography (lots of it) and a history that mixes indigenous peoples with Portuguese conquest, as well as immigration, both voluntary and, in the case of over three million mainly West African slaves, savagely forced too.
That rich culture is all very good news for the serious eater, although what I know about Brazilian food could be scrawled on the back of a carnival queen’s thong.
But there’s a dish, according to my girlfriend Cley, for every whim and desire. She comes from the south (‘farming land, like Lincolnshire, but with better music’) and has introduced me to the delights of pao de queijo (hot balls of tapioca cheese bread), Guaraná Antarctica (top-tier fizzy drink) and extravagantly customised hotdogs, the equivalent of our late-night kebab.
The mains attraction (from left): Feijoada, picanha and prawn moqueca
But aside from endless churrascarias, with their bottomless skewers of generally uninspiring cow, and a couple of high-end places (Bossa is excellent, if expensive), the pickings in London are decidedly slim. Then she discovered Kaipiras, tucked away behind Kilburn High Road.
Small, crowded and charmingly cluttered, there are chequered tablecloths, tourist posters on the wall and a small bar from which caipirinhas, softly sharp, emerge at an astounding rate.
The place wallows in charm and good cheer, and at times feels more like a house party than a formal restaurant. Sertanejo provides the soundtrack, and the food is as big-hearted and generous (portions are immense) as the lovely staff.
Go for the pao de queijo, the best I’ve eaten, and acarajé, fried black-eyed bean fritters, not unlike falafel, topped with salted prawns and salsa.
Stay for smoked sausage, sliced thin and tumbled in a great pile of fried onions; chewy, deeply flavoured slabs of picanha (or rump cap); pots of silken beans, and prawn moqueca, a subtly spiced stew with West African roots, sweet with coconut and mellow with dende oil.
‘Muito bem,’ says Cley. She approves. We’ll be back, for chicken hearts, salted beef, fried yam and roasted cow ribs. The night may have ended. But a whole new adventure has begun.
- About £25 per head. Kaipiras, 10 Kingsgate Place, London NW6; kaipiras.com
DRINKS: CHARLOTTE KRISTENSEN’S ORGANIC SEPTEMBER SIPS
The Organic September campaign celebrates the ‘o’ word in all its diversity, raising awareness about practices.
This year marks half a century of organic certification of sustainable, eco-friendly agricultural methods. Here are my wallet-friendly picks – with three under £10.
La Brise Blanche Albariño 2022 (13%), £11.99, Majestic. This French expression of Albariño is divinely thirst-quenching, with notes of crushed shells, ripe lemon and a salty tingle – it’s pure sunshine in a bottle.
La Brise Blanche Albariño 2022 (13%), £11.99, Majestic
Purato Catarratto Pinot Grigio 2022 (12.5%), £10, ocado.com. This is a perfectly pleasing Sicilian Pinot Grigio, with gentle florals and white peachy flavours, that’ll work a treat with salads, veggie fare and chicken dishes.
Purato Catarratto Pinot Grigio 2022 (12.5%), £10, ocado.com.
Specially Selected Rosé Costa Toscana 2022 (13%), £6.99, Aldi. Organic rosé from the Tuscan coast, bringing la dolce vita to every glass with its vibrant berry character, rose-petal aromas and delightful fresh finish.
Specially Selected Rosé Costa Toscana 2022 (13%), £6.99, Aldi
Farm Hand Merlot 2022 (14%), £9.99, Waitrose. A newly stocked, modern Aussie Merlot, this is lighter than the average in style, with plum and tea-leaf notes, making it a great pick for the transition into autumn.
Farm Hand Merlot 2022 (14%), £9.99, Waitrose
Castillo de Zalin Monastrell Jumilla 2021 (14%), £8.50, Co-Op. One for full-bodied fans: robust, spicy red from southeastern Spain’s underrated Jumilla region, with ripe wild berries and a peppery freshness.
Castillo de Zalin Monastrell Jumilla 2021 (14%), £8.50, Co-Op
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