My memories of Rio are unlike those of any other city I’ve visited. On one hand I saw the most amazing beaches I’d ever encountered, so beautiful they went beyond the postcard images thanks to the amazing rocks that rise out of the crystal blue water’s surface. On the other hand, spending two weeks by myself there as a scrawny guy with bright white skin who only ever walked and caught public transport made me realise that a) I’m an idiot and b) that the film City of God was, to put it mildly, not overstating the underlying poverty – and danger – of the city.

Having said that I also met some great locals and, to get on track when it comes to Bar Zine, delicious food and drinks that I’ve been missing back in Sydney – and so as soon as I find out that the Brazilian bar Boteco (not to be confused with Bodega, a nearby Spanish tapas bar) has opened in Surry Hills I immediately rush over (and yes, I do realise Brazil is far more than just Rio – but if I was silly enough to walk everywhere through darkened streets in rough neighbourhoods by myself then I was also silly enough not to explore more of Brazil when I had the chance).

Located on the same block as Bar Cleveland, Boteco is a small hole-in-the-wall with white walls, wooden beams and a bar counter that has black and white tiles on the front in homage to the tiles you see around Brazil.

The beers and wine are all from South America (and if you do go for a red I strongly suggest the carmenere, a wine variety originally from Europe that was considered to have disappeared until it was relatively recently rediscovered in Chile) but for me it’s the cocktail list that stands out. There are whole pages dedicated to pisco, cacacha, tequila and rum drinks, as well as batidas (a Brazilian drink made with coconut milk and cachaca) and the most famous Brazilian cocktail of all, the caipirinha.

The caipirinha is made with cachaca, a raw Brazilian sugar cane spirit that, if you don’t get a good brand, can taste rough – which might explain why the locals started muddling limes within an inch of their lives and added sugar and ice to make it work well.

Having said that, the caipirinha can be a great cocktail and Boteco not only offers the traditional version but also variations.

One is called the Spicy Ananas and adds pineapple and spice syrup to the mix. It’s more subtle than it sounds and, while I usually hate tampering with classics, I’d argue this is an improvement on the original. Another is the Melancia and Blossom caipirinha, which has watermelon and orange blossom added to it. At first I love this – especially as the orange blossom triggers a sense memory from my childhood that almost has me curled up in the foetal position (one of my favourite positions of all time) – but by the end of the drink it becomes a little too rich for my liking and makes me long for another Spicy Ananas instead.

The food here is to my liking, however, from the espetinho (grilled beef skewers served with cassava chips and a tomato, onion and coriander salsa) and the galinhada, which is chicken (which is surprisingly succulent) served with saffron rice and okra, to street food such as the bolinho de bacalhau (salted cod balls that are incredibly soft and have a nice, light fried coating) and the pastel (turnovers filled with a tender white cheese – they’re like the Argentinean or Chilean empanada). The only dish that doesn’t appeal are the coconut truffles for dessert that have such a strong hit of cloves to them that they remind me of the Gudang Garam clove cigarettes that no doubt stunted my growth as a wannabe rebellious teenager. I also can’t help but mourn the absence of feijoada, a black bean and pork stew that I became addicted to in Rio.

However, these are minor quibbles and hopefully I’ll be back in a few weeks to give the other drinks and dishes more of a workout.

Boteco, 421 Cleveland Street, Surry Hills. Open Tuesday to Sunday. Phone 9318 2993 or see the Boteco website

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Now it’s your turn – how do you rate Boteco?

Boteco - Surry Hills, 4.1 out of 5 based on 32 ratings

 

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