My Kind of Place: A Brazilian Festa

Last Thursday it was Boa Noite at My Kind of Place at the Fairmont Heliopolis and Towers: the Brazilian-themed night of excellent food and delicious drinks, happening every Thursday from 7PM, opened with much anticipation and fanfare. All you can eat barbeque meat, Caipirinhas and live musicians performing The Girl From Ipanema had us believe we were dining at the Copacabana.

Nothing says Brazil more than a traditional Brazilian Rodizio. An established concept in Brazil, a Rodizio offers the customer all they can eat meat, chicken, and about everything else they can think of. A buffet offers bottomless appetisers, salads, soups and desserts while the bar serves the finest wines and freshest cocktails, including the Brazilian favourite, the classic Caipirinha. But that is not why we came to the Fairmont Heliopolis and Towers’ last week. Ten different kind of meats, served straight from the outdoor grill, are carved and served at the table. And there is no end - as long as your stomach can handle it, the food will keep coming.

Lamb kebab, chicken wings, sausages, and different kinds of tender steaks, cooked to perfection, were presented by the chefs on each table. We then got to decide if this meat was worth trying or if we were longing for more. Any of these barbequed meats kept coming as long as we wanted, until the meat sweats started kicking in or our bellies were about to burst. The meats were too fresh to even be on the buffet table. From the grill directly to our plate, within seconds.

The choice of sides is equally enchanting, as a soup inspired by the traditional dish Fejoada was served. This savory bean soup feeds Brazilians on the daily, and on Thursdays it is for all of Cairo to enjoy. A plentiful salad and appetiser bar as well as incredibly-seasoned Chat Masala fries served on each table (bottomless, of course) accompanied each serving of fresh meat. There was no chance to leave hungry, or with even a little bit of room left in our stomach.

Our favourite meats included the veal rump which was prepared medium rare. However, with the grill only being a few feet away, chefs were able to prepare meats whatever way we liked. The excellent preparation by My Kind Of Place’s experienced chefs, who themselves hailed from South America, made sure the steak arrived at our table perfectly juicy. If there is one place where eating meat is an extraordinary experience, it is the South American continent, and this time it was our turn.

However, a true Brazilian-themed night requires more than fresh meats and endless access to desserts. A live performer was playing Brazilian tunes all night, inspiring movements by diners who couldn’t help than to swing their hips in impromptu salsa performances. My Kind Of Place quickly turned into that kind of place where people were allowing the Brazilian joy of life to take over while enjoying a great meal. Additionally, the Caipirinhas, the traditional sugar cane cocktail consumed in the thousands every day in Brazil, kept coming, delighting our spirits even more.

We may not have found a carnival with half-naked dancers and confetti as we were leaving the restaurant but the feeling of walking out to the Copacabana for a beach party after having stuffed our faces was hard to shake off. A holiday in Brazil, at least in a culinary sense, is no longer exclusive to those with a visa and plane ticket, but to everyone in Cairo who likes to pamper themselves with authentic foreign foods. The concept, the food and the drinks speak an unmistakable language: tudo bem at My Kind Of Place.

Find out more about the Fairmont Heliopolis & Towers here.