The Copa Brazilian Churrasco in Dickson is definitely a venue to dine at when you are extremely hungry! We walked out of the restaurant with full bellies, very satisfied and ready to fall into a deep food coma.
Walking into The Copa, you can’t help but notice the colourful interior and the aroma of juicy meats. We were seated at our table and are briefed about how the dining experience works. Basically, they bring you a selection of sides which you can order as much of as you like and then they bring around a selection of cooked meats to the table. If you would like some, flip your token right-side up to ‘Sim, por favor’ (Yes, please) and you simply pinch a piece off with your tongs. If you are too full and need a food break, flip your token the other way to display ‘Nao, obrigado (No, thankyou).
We were served a pitcher of Sangria that definitely had a kick to it and was somewhat refreshing in the cold Canberra weather. The first to arrive to our table was the baked Brazilian cheese bread (my favourite). The little balls of goodness are accompanied with four sauces; Verde, Rojo, Chimichurri and balsamic and chili. All sauces vary in taste, with two of them being quite spicy.
The sides come out together and consist of: Brazilian black beans, braised red and white cabbage, tomato, rocket and red onion salad, Brazilian style rice, Farofa (baked cassava flour mixed with bacon and shallots), beetroot, blue cheese and walnuts, sugared pineapple skewer and seasonal vegetable skewer. They were served in small dishes, but they all packed a punch in flavor and you could ask for a re-fill whenever you felt like it. You have to be careful not to fill up on the sides though! They were all mouth-watering and it was hard to resist piling your plate.
The meats started to come out one by one, on their skewers, piping hot and tender. The San Paolo (mini chicken drumsticks) were delectable, as was the Chorizo which had chilli throughout. The Fraldinha (Scotch fillet rolled) was moist and tender and the flavor was fresh and buttery. You could also choose what part of the meat you wanted, so whether you wanted your Scotch fillet cooked rare, or well-done was up to you. The lamb rump mixed with herbs and spices was a winner as was the Ricau (chicken thigh fillet wrapped in bacon).
The seafood was bought to our table in a group: Bachalau (salted cod) in creamy coconut and tomato reduction, Camarao – King prawn cutlets and the Lula – spicy baby squid. The seafood was fresh and was perfect for when you had ‘meat-overloaded’.
Just when we thought we would not possibly be able to fit another thing in, the dessert arrived. What an array! We sampled the caramelized banana with glazed orange rind, the house-made Crème Caramel and the Chocolate cake. All three desserts were sumptuous and all possessed the ‘melt-in-your-mouth qualities that well-made sweet treats do. We were told that not many people order dessert at the end of a Churrasco feast and I was definitely not surprised.
The Copa Brazilian Churrasco is a great place to go with the family, with a big group or even a ‘boys’ or (girls!) night out. The meat is fresh and the service is fantastic. All staff are attentive and are happy to answer any questions. Just make sure you don’t eat a few hours before your meal – you need all the room you can get! In spite of the widely publicised difficulties The Copa faced in their opening week, they are turning it around and moving in the right direction.
