Floripa: Eating, Drinking and Dancing Brazilian Style

Floripa is doing something exciting: creating a very new kind of Brazilian fusion cuisine and doing it very well. We Londoners may all now be very familiar with caipirinhas and even Brazilian bar snacks, but how many of us have had a Brazilian Sunday lunch? The restaurant has poached chef David Yorkston (he of Bacchus and Langham Hotel fame) – well known for his ability to create superb roasts – and for Floripa he has come up with something that I think is unique.

The roast beef was thick, juicy with a hefty layer of fat – its inspiration was a popular Brazilian cut of meat known as piranha yet it is served British style, with roast vegetables and rich gravy. Our yorkshire puddings were perfect - light yet with an unusually appealing texture, which I later learnt was thanks to the cassava flour – a particularly Brazilian ingredient. Inspired.

There are more classic Brazilian dishes on the menu too. Look for the national dish of feijoada, the exciting afro-brazil fusion, Muququita, Lebanese-Rio Kibbe or – one of my personal favourites – cheese balls (Pao De Queijo). No self respecting Brazilian joint would be complete without some hard-hitting cachaca based cocktails, which I thought were fine, although with rather too much ice. I do also suggest sampling Miolo, a surpassingly good Brazilian red wine.

Floripa may be on a rather dirty corner in Shoreditch but it boasts a spacious pavement that is surprisingly pleasant to sit out on, despite being next to a busy road. The lovely Brazilian staff played with our children while we sat out on the shabby chic – or should I say Brazilian chic furniture. Floripa is named after a lovely little island in Brazil that could be described as the country's very own Ibiza. This restaurant used to be Favela Chic, which was always very successful as a drinking and dancing venue but not so much for eating – until now. 'Comer, beber, dancer' is the restaurant's catchline – eating, drinking, dancing. Quite.


91-93 Gt Eastern Street
Shoreditch
London EC2A 3HZ
http://floripalondon.com/
+44 207 613 4228