Raízes (“roots” in Portuguese) is a Brazilian restaurant and petiscos
(tapas) bar in London’s East End. Situated at the less trendy end of
Hackney Road but a stone’s throw from Viajante in Bethnal Green, this
lively Brazilian venue attracts a loyal crowd of ex-pats for its
honest, homemade-style Brazilian dishes and well priced caipirinhas.

The place is nearly always packed at the weekends when Brazilian
music is played live, and service is invariably friendly if somewhat
haphazard at busy times. Dr G and I have eaten at Raízes a number of
times, normally opting for a selection of tapas and beer. On this
occasion, we were meeting a group of Brazilian and British friends and
so we decided to try some of the main courses on the menu in addition
to the usual pestiscos.

To get started, we ordered a portion of Torresmo @ £6. This is one
of my favourite Brazilian snacks – chunky pieces of pork belly fried
slowly until very crisp. It is time consuming and messy to prepare but
if well made it tastes delicious. Raízes’ version however was
disappointing, as the pieces of pork belly were too finely cut,
probably to speed up cooking time, leaving them more akin to fried
lardons than Brazilian torresmos.

Deep-fried Mandioca @ £5.30 is another favourite. Cooked as fat
chips, Raízes’ was freshly cooked and fried (the frozen variety is dry
and not nearly as good), and tasted very good. I make this at home
often, and it is also time-consuming to prepare but tastes infinitely
more interesting than potato chips.

Despite its name Calabresa @ £5.40 is a type of Brazilian sausage
with a strong smokey flavour and firm texture. It is often barbecued or
cut into thin slices and fried with plenty of onions as in Raízes’
version. It is also delicious served with toasted cassava flour (a
staple in Brazilian cuisine normally eaten as part of a Feijoada meal)
and is ubiquitous in the many botecos (bars) of São Paulo and Rio.

We also ordered a portion of Polenta Frita @ £4.50. Polenta is very
popular in Brazil, but unlike in Italy where it is normally served soft
as an accompaniment to meats, in Brazil we usually eat it hard and
deep-fried like potato chips. Polenta chips go so well with other foods
or on their own with cold beer and are a cinch to prepare.

To make polenta chips, prepare the polenta according to packet
instructions but use less water so that it cooks to a harder
consistency. I normally add cheddar and parmesan cheese to jazz it up a
bit, and herbs, chillies and other flavourings can also be added. Place
the wet mixture in a shallow baking tray, let it cool to a solid block,
cut it up, and deep fry it for a few minutes until golden.

Other popular Brazilian petiscos and street food that are featured
on the menu but which we were not able try on this occasion included
Coxinha @ £2.30 (deep-fried potato pastry filled with shredded
chicken), Pão de Queijo @ £3 (portion of 6 cheese bread rolls) and
Coração de Galinha @ £5.40 (fried chicken hearts).

Main dishes on Raízes’ menu are the kind of dishes that Brazilians
eat every day at home, but are also readily available at bars, cafés or
botecos throughout Brazil. I ordered a Contra Filé á Cavalo (220g) @
£10.70 – grilled Brazilian sirloin steak served with rice, beans and
fried egg. I enjoyed this dish, with its tender, flavoursome meat. The
beans were also well cooked and seasoned, just as I remember having in
São Paulo.

The Feijoada @ £9 was also excellent. This is Brazil’s national dish
and is a pork and black bean stew served with rice, toasted cassava
flour, sautéed greens and orange slices. The beans had been slowly
stewed with plenty of cured pork taking on a rich, intense flavour. At
£9, this is also an excellent value choice.

Espeto Misto @ £10.80 was a simple but well-executed barbecued
skewer of chicken breast, sausage and rump steak served with rice,
chips and toasted cassava flour. An improvement to this dish would be
to have it served with freshly-made (rather than frozen) chips.

Less successful dishes in my opinion were the Vaca Atolada @ £9.30 –
slow-cooked beef ribs cooked with cassava, and served with rice and a
potato salad which was slightly bland, and Filé á Parmegiana @ £9.90 –
oven baked Brazilian rump steak in breadcrumbs topped with tomato sauce
and cheese, served with rice, salad and chips. The steak was thinly
cut, rather dry, and was not particularly flavoursome. It was also
coated in too thick a layer of breadcrumbs, and topped with an
unexciting, bog-standard tomato sauce.

To accompany our petiscos we ordered a few pints of Stella on
draught @ £3 per pint as well as some Caipirinhas @ £5.30. The
caipirinhas were well made (neither too sharp nor too sweet) but
slightly on the weak side. With the main courses, we ordered a bottle
of 2009 Miolo Cabernet Sauvignon @ £17.60 from Vale dos Vinhedos in
Brazil. This is an entry level Miolo wine, and was fruity, easy
drinking and uncomplicated.

Cost: £188 for 6 people or just over £30 per head including drinks.

Likes: well priced food and drinks menu,
home-cooking style dishes, good selection of petiscos, lively ambiance,
good feijoada, fried mandioca/cassava, friendly staff, live Brazilian
music at weekends.

Dislikes: main courses were a hit-and-miss affair,
quality of some of the meats needs to be considered, presentation of
dishes, particularly mains, can be improved.

Verdict: Home-cooking style Brazilian food at good
prices, friendly service, and a good East London venue for honest, well
made petiscos (Brazilian tapas) and caipirinhas. Recommended.

Written by Luiz Hara. You can read more of his restaurant reviews and articles on food in London at The London Foodie.

Raízes

460 Hackney Road

Bethnal Green

London E2 9EG

raizes.co.uk

Opening Times

Mon-Fri : 12pm-3:30pm & 6pm-10:30pm

Sat-Sun : 12pm-11pm