Restaurant Review :Boteco, Restaurante Brasileiro, Pune

EL The Cook explores one of India's First Brazilian  restaurants, Boteco, Restaurante Brasileiro!

Boteco in Portuguese means a place where alcoholic beverages are sold and one can have good food and drink without any obligations.  

AMBIANCE

Located in Koregaon Park, Boteco invites foodies and critics alike, without the pomp and air of a true fine dine restaurant. With bright colored tiles and exemplary wall art, Boteco entices the senses by bringing Brazil's streets closer to your heart!

With close knit indoor tables and a wonderful outdoor terrace, Boteco stresses the culture of Brazil with musical instruments and its key ingredients at every corner!

Run by the bubbly Brazilian Chef Guto Souza, Boteco, is a delight for those who love to explore South American coastal cuisine. With a welcoming staff and the chef constantly asking for feedback, it is certainly one of the most responsive restaurants we have been to.

The kitchen is notably spectacular with an actual Brazilian churrasqueira or barbecue grill!

Chef Guto, also boasts of 2 more restaurants in Goa, which serve delicious South American fare!

DRINKS

AMAZONIAN CACHACA

One alcohol which is unmistakably Brazilian, is the cachaca (Pronounced Ca-Sha-Sha), which is sugarcane distilled alcohol. Feisty to taste and with a strong flavor, cachaca is best paired with citrusy and fruity flavors.

Boteco does a wonderful adaptation with by adding apple juice with a citrusy lime cordial, sparkling wine and cachaca to present one cracker of a cocktail. The flavors are refreshing and take your straight to a warm beach and the sound of the ocean! 

FOOD

FRENCH BREAD WITH LIVER PATE, BEETROOT SOUP

Served as a palette cleanser, this neat looking plate of food packs a punch in terms of flavor. The delicate french bread is crusty and topped with the creamy liver pâté, the depth of flavors is almost magical! The intense liver taste is balanced by the smooth, spiced beetroot soup, which is a real surprise to the palette.

A brilliantly thought of an well executed dish in terms of both its presentation and flavor!

  

RISOLES DE CAMARAO

This dish, reflects the perfect Brazilian food according to Chef Guto. Hot pastries, stuffed with a delicious prawn filling, and a spicy paprika sauce is just divine. These bite size beauties are crunchy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside!


The prawns are cooked to perfection and really enhance that coastal feel!  

ESCONDIDINHO

Perhaps the dish of the day for us!  

Home-made dried meat (beef) is shredded and sandwiched between a layer of mascarpone and parmigiana cheese on the top and a layer of creamy, spiced pumpkin cream on the bottom. The riot of flavors that follow is divine! The cheese melts in your mouth as you take the bite, the smoky meat disintegrates and the pumpkin cream completes the foodgasm with its smooth texture!

An outstanding dish in terms of presentation and a mind-numbing dish in terms of flavor! Beef fans, this is a must-have!     

LEITAO A PURURUCA

A 4 hour long slow cooked Belgian pork belly is served over a bed of creamy apple puree! The pork is delicate and tender and balances a crunchy wafer of pork crackling (which Chef Gusto jokingly mentioned that if we couldn't finish it, he would eat it. Obviously we refused!!) 

The brilliance in this plate of food is that a heavy, fatty cut of meat is made light when paired with good sides.

The smooth apple puree, roasted cherry tomatoes in balsamic glaze and the stewed cucumber salad, all add a surprisingly light touch to the plate.

The ham and cheese croquettes with the sweet sour white wine sauce add theater and elevation to the plate!

A truly classy interpretation of a pork belly fused with a lovely Brazilian touch!

PIETO DE FRANGO RECHEADO

Brazilian dishes are remarkably similar to Goan cuisine with the spices and marinades used. The chicken roulade, served on a bed roasted paprika sauce, and a side of beetroot tahini and carrot puree, Chef Guto impresses with his innate knowledge of flavor combinations! 

The crunchy chicken roulade is complimented well by the spicy sauce and then the heat is turned down by the creamy carrot puree and luscious beetroot tahini!

PETIT GATEAU AU CHOCOLAT

We did not choose this dessert! By the end of the meal, we asked Chef Guto to surprise us with a choice of his dessert!

Many intriguing minutes later, he walks out with this beauty! A soft, molten chocolate lava cake, prepared freshly garnished with creme friache and heavenly strawberries, dusted with powdered cocoa!

A true "wow" dessert a slice into this wonder and a smooth flow of molten chocolate and cream pours out, waiting to be eaten! Fantastic theater and rich chocolate leave your heart pounding and enthralled by the Food of the Gods!

 Boteco, a place where a new cuisine is being forged by a brave and bubbly Chef, which is nothing short of spectacular!

A restaurant which brings you the defining culture of Brazil through it ambiance, cocktails and food. 

Boteco, ticks all the boxes when it comes to flavor pairings, food technique and most of all food served with love! A lot of effort has gone into serving food which is freshly procured and made with keeping in mind Brazilian tradition.

The only down we have is the dusty building where Boteco is located, really dulls the tone of the experience.

Chef Guto's, Boteco takes you to Brazil with each morsel of lovingly cooked food, flavored to perfection, deliciously introducing the Indian palette to its first taste of Brazil!