An afternoon at Fazenda Liverpool

Hi everyone, I hope that you are all having a good week. Today I have another restaurant review to share with you. I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to review Fazenda* restaurant in Liverpool and I could not wait to see what everybody has been talking about! Fazenda is a Rodizio restaurant, which means a Brazilian style steak house where meat is served at your table until you have had enough. Since  I have heard nothing but rave reviews of Fazenda from everyone, suffice to say that I was more than a little excited, as I sprayed on some of my Zara Black Peony perfume and set off into the city wearing my standard black dress and heels combo (predictable, moi?!)
All the restaurants I have reviewed lately have been dinner reservations, so it was nice to do something a bit different and I decided this time to reserve a table for 2pm. That way, I thought we could enjoy our meal and then have a few evening cocktails at the Fazenda bar. Ah, never let it be said that I am a woman without a plan!

 Boohoo black dress, Primark heels and bag: 

standard times people, standard times! 

As soon as you arrive at Fazenda, you feel as though you could be in Downtown Manhattan. The entrance to the restaurant is in an elegant courtyard situated behind Liverpool Town Hall and the dramatic setting definitely makes it feel extra special. There is a large heated terrace outside, which is ideal for sipping a cocktail at any time of the year. Inside, we were welcomed warmly and dazzled by the elegant interior of the restaurant, with the plush reception area on one side and the chic (and extremely well-stocked) bar on the other. There is glossy wood panelling everywhere and eye catching indoor fire features which lend even more glamour to proceedings. We were led through the restaurant to a cosy table for two with leather banquette seating. Lunchtime service was in full swing, and the tantalising, smoky smell of sizzling meat swirled around us as waiters whizzed by carrying the hanging displays of meat, ready to be carved for you at the table. 

 

As we sipped our delicious Caipirinha cocktails, we were talked through how it works at Fazenda. First you go to help yourself from the ‘Salad Bar’, before being served the meats at your table. At this point I must add that the ‘Salad Bar’ is a conservative name for it, since the array of delicious foods on offer is simply incredible. There are cuts of cold meat, sushi, a cheese board, fresh bread, salad, couscous, tuna, various pickles and relishes, olives, cream cheese stuffed peppers...phew! You get the idea,  even before you are served the meats the food at Fazenda is simply awe-inspiring! When you have helped yourself from the salad bar, you sit back at your table where each diner has a little card, one side is green and one is red. When you want meat to be brought to your table, flip the card to green. Had enough for now? Simply flip the card to the red side to indicate that you don’t want any more and then flip it back to green when you want service to resume. This is a genius idea which allows you to control the pace of service and to be served more as soon as you are hungry.

Fazenda is a true carnivore’s paradise with so many meats on offer, but fear not as there is also a vegetarian option available, and vegetarians would certainly not go hungry, with a choice of vegetarian mains on offer and also the food on offer at the salad bar . 

I do not eat much red meat, but my plate was piled high with goodies from the salad bar, and I was soon served two cuts of tender chicken. Meanwhile, my dining partner was in clover, being served slivers of marinated pork, slices of tender steak and sizzling sausages! It was a running joke throughout the meal, that each time the waiters came past the table they tried to serve him even more meat! He enjoyed Linguica (a Brazilian sausage), Picanha (cap of rump steak) and Alcatra (rump steak with garlic). Meanwhile I tucked into the two cuts of Frango (chicken marinated in garlic and chicken breast wrapped in bacon) and many delights from the Salad Bar, including warm crusty bread, cheese and crackers, couscous and Provencal potatoes. I am making myself hungry just writing this and recalling the epic feast! 

 That Salad Bar though!

 A salad bar which even has sushi? Amazing!

 Cold cuts on the salad bar.

 The amazing display of flowers above the salad bar was so beautiful.

 An amazing array of wines.

 A selection of delicious goodies from the salad bar. 

Manuel carving steak at our table. 

When we were first seated, the waiter also asked how we prefer our meat cooked. He explained that the meat at Fazenda is usually served medium-rare, but you can request to have some cooked to your preference if you prefer it cooked another way. I thought that this was so accommodating and once again, it shows the attention to detail which makes Fazenda so popular. 

Enjoying a glass of Merlot with the meal!

The enjoyment of Fazenda is not only in the quality of the food itself, but also in the way the food is served, with the smiling waiters rushing past theatrically, stopping to serve sizzling meat to anyone with the green side of their card displayed. The selection is incredible, and you can also help yourself from the salad bar as often as you wish. I think the prices of Fazenda are so reasonable for the amount of food you actually get, and the atmosphere is so alive and vibrant that you feel happy just being there and soaking up the good vibes before you even start on the amazing food! The service was made even more enjoyable by how friendly all of the team were. The lovely Manuel chatted to me about out my love of photography, smiling as he posed for pictures.  I also met the lovely Rory, who was happy to have a picture with me at the end and we had a good laugh together about how much delicious food we had eaten! We were made so welcome, and Dayle who is the Business Developmet Manager of Fazenda came over for a long chat and we had a lovely gossip about food and later on we had another chat at the bar, when the topic of conversation turned to cocktails and possibly even make up....well put two girls together and the topic of make up is bound to come up eventually right ladies?! Thank you Dayle for such a lovely chat, it was such a pleasure to meet you!

Manuel.

 A Marquise de Chocolate dessert


After all of the exquisite food, it was time to round of the meal with a look at the dessert menu. I had already heard from a few people that the Marquise de Chocolat is the most rich and delicious chocolate cake, so whilst my eye was also caught by the coconut panacotta, there was only ever going to be one winner and I of course chose the chocolate! The dessert did not disappoint, with rich and delicious chocolate and cream layered on a biscuit base. It was served with cream and Dulce de Leche too which only added to the taste explosion. My partner had an Espresso coffee which was served with a shot of condensed milk, which made it deliciously sweet. After all of the food he decided against having a dessert himself, which is practically unheard of!

Then it was time to retire to the bar area for a couple of cocktails including a non-alcoholic one for the driver! I had an amazing dry gin Martini, a Beterrabas Blend, and a lovely glass of Rose wine.
The bar at Fazenda is so chic and it reminded me of being in the 1920's as there is definitely a touch of 'Great Gatsby' glamour to the bar, with the classic cocktails on offer and the rows of hanging glasses. It is so pleasant just to sit there and watch the waiters shaking a cocktail or two and it is definitely somewhere that I would go just for a drink even if I was not dining in the restaurant. To me it is the sign of a very good restaurant when there is a stand-alone bar area as attractive as this one. I have a feeling I will be sitting there again in the not too distant future, sipping another exquisitely dry Martini and pretending that I am in The Great Gatsby and that any moment I will be swirling across a dance floor in a beaded flapper dress!

A 'mocktail' 

The Betarrabas Blend

 Me with the lovely Rory.

Me with Dayle, what a gorgeous and friendly lady. She made our time at Fazenda so much fun!

The lovely Daniel who is from the Czech Republic. It was a pleasure to have a fascinating chat with him as he prepared us some delicious drinks!

A delicious dry gin Martini

Bathroom selfie time!

As always, I cast a critical eye over the bathrooms and the bathrooms at Fazenda were immaculately clean. I was somewhat perplexed that there was only one sink until I discovered that each cubicle had not only a toilet but also a sink (with hand wash and lotion), mirror and hand drier. This was an incredibly luxurious touch and it is the first time have ever come across this!

A few more shots of the chic interior at Fazenda.

Excited in the car on the way to Fazenda! 

So eventually, after an incredible afternoon of food and fun, it was time to bid Fazenda a fond farewell. It is worth noting that we had such a good time, that we did not actually leave until nearly 8pm! A long and leisurely lunch, topped off by a few hours sitting chatting at the bar...what better way to spend a grey and wintry Saturday in the city? We had a amazing meal and I honestly cannot recommend this restaurant enough for an extra special evening or afternoon out. It was such a lovely experience from start to finish and I am so looking forward to dining there again in the future! A massive thank you to Dayle and the team for treating us like royalty throughout our time at Fazenda!

What do you guys think, have you ever been to Fazenda or somewhere similar, would this be the type of restaurant to tickle your taste-buds? Let me know your thought, as I always to hear what you think!

Remember, I love to read your sweet comments and I follow back my followers. 

Until next time, 

Camille 

xo 

Fazenda

Horton House

Liverpool

L23YL

0151 227 2733

http://fazenda.co.uk/liverpool/

Prices:

Lunch

£17.30 Monday-Friday 12-5pm

£19.30  Saturday/Sunday 12-5pm

Dinner 

£27.30  Sunday-Thursday 5pm-12 midnight

£29.20 Friday/Saturday 5pm-12 midnight

*Disclosure:

We were kindly invited to try the delicious food and drinks at Fazenda as a guests of the management. The meal was therefore complimentary for review purposes. All opinions expressed here are nevertheless my own and honest, we had a wonderful time and I highly recommend the restaurant to everybody.