Rodizio Rico provides a Brazilian style of dining that has become hugely popular in London in recent years. It is, perhaps, most famous for the way its waiters whiz round offering various cuts of meat on skewers and the fact that you can eat as much as you can handle.

The Venue
With a name that roughly means tasty rotating barbeque, Rodizio Rico on Upper Street is one of three in the capital; the others are in west London and at the 02 in Greenwich. Upper Street is an area awash with food and drink options, Rodizio Rico is one that holds its own against the competition as, not only does it have the novelty value of the skewers, it also guarantees to sate even the most cavernous of appetites, and its traditional Brazilian staples like feijoada are authentic enough to satisfy native tongues.

The first thing you are greeted by is a member of staff at the reservation desk. To the right of the desk is a well stocked dark wooden bar; in front of you is a large metal buffet bar containing all of the food on offer, with the exception of the skewered meats. Flanking either side of the buffet are tables arranged into groups of two, four and more. The room extends outwards beyond the buffet bar to the main bulk of tables, and on the left hand side there’s a service point where the waiters collect their skewered meats. There are a few pieces of artwork on the walls including soft focus paintings of the Brazilian flag and images of exotic fruits.

The Atmosphere
Popular with big groups, the overwhelming feeling is one that’s animated and fast-paced. This is not a venue for those who like to take their time over food, or fancy a quiet romantic dalliance. Instead, groups of friends or those celebrating an occasion will be most suited to its frenetic service and hum of conversation.

The Food
Rodizio Rico is basically an upmarket all-you-can-eat buffet, with the added attraction of the merry-go-round of waiters carrying the meats. It’s staggered into three price brackets: £22.50 for the full works, including everything from the buffet bar (salads, rice, sides, hot dishes); £15.50 for the vegetarian option; and £12.50 for children between the ages of 5 and 12.

Need one word to sum up the experience? Relentless. As soon as you sit back down after selecting your rice and salads from the buffet bar, you will be bombarded by offers of meat. These include different cuts of beef, pork, chicken hearts, chicken wings and lamb. The quality of the meat varies. Some of it, such as the pork loin and the choice cuts of beef, are beautifully cooked, tender and full of flavour. Others, including the pork ribs and beef rump, are chewy, gristly and end up being left on the plate. Given that the chicken hearts are not something you’ll usually find on a menu, it might be worth experimenting, but once you chow down on a couple and taste the iron-infused flavour and the rubbery consistency you may want to pass on seconds. Despite the inconsistency of the meat, the sheer volume of choice means that once you find a couple of good cuts you can just keep topping up your plate with those and refuse the other less enjoyable ones. After a couple of rounds of buffet bar and meat those without a phenomenal ability to devour everything in site may start feeling a bit bloated. The best method is to start slow - it’s not a sprint. The rice and black beans that make up part of the signature Brazilian dish, feijoada, is good enough to eat on its own. Also of note is the lightly fried tilapia (white fish), which doesn’t appear as often as the meats, although once you taste its delicately spiced flavour you’ll wonder why there isn’t more fish on the menu.

Desserts at Rodizio Rico may well be surplus to requirements after the meat-a-thon of the main event. There is something from the trolley selection that is worth going that little extra distance for: the creme caramel. Described by the waiter as reminding him of something he’d find in his mother’s fridge, it is presented in a fat triangle with the sweet caramelised surface cutting deliciously against the milky consistency of the inside of the pud.

The Drink
Brazilian wine might be overshadowed in the UK wine market by its neighbours, Argentina and Chile, and your first inclination may well be, quite naturally, to head for familiar turf, but listen to your waiter’s advice and go for a bottle of the Miola Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (£23). A superb recommendation, this wine has subterranean-like depth and a full bodied nose and flavour that will both surprise and delight the uninitiated. Finding out that the region in Brazil that it originates from, Vale dos Vinhedos, has connections with Italy is not actually a complete surprise – this wine has much in common with some top Italian reds.

If wine doesn’t fit your mood, there is a comprehensive list of beers, spirits, cocktails, Champagne and soft drinks. Brahma (£3.90 per bottle), cachaca (£4) and, of course, caipirinhas (£6) are among the drinks that fly the flag for the venue’s homeland.

The Last Word
Stick to certain dishes here and you’ll have a meal to savour. Be careful if your eyes are bigger than your belly; the food doesn’t stop at Rodizio Rico.

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