Have you ever had a hangover?
A hangover so nuclear that you weren’t sure you would survive it?
I have. It’s not fun. Not even a little bit. But it’s ok. You can get through this. YOU WILL SURVIVE. And I know just the brunch to help you along…
Let me introduce you to Cabana Brasil.
Cabana Brasil in Brixton is awesome.
A few months ago, the girls and I popped in to try their new summer menu. We all fell IN LOVE with the cheesy dough balls and spicy cocktails, so I was super excited to hear that they’d launched a new Bottomless Brunch offer!
For £15 you get two hours of unlimited Tropical Bellinis and Bloody Maria Caipirinhas. Add in some delicious food and a couple of your best pals, and you’re sorted!
For our visit, Gary and I opted for virgin Bloody Marias, because LOL NO ALCOHOL PLEASE, I MIGHT BE SICK.
I love Bloody Mary’s, but I’m very very picky about them. This one definitely passed the test.
Cabana Brasil’s version of this spicy brunch classic is infused with lime and uses cachaça as the alcohol base, instead of vodka. It’s stupendously spicy, full of flavour and it cleared up our hangovers a treat!
*choirs of angels singing*
These dough balls though. THESE. DOUGH BALLS.
The Pao de Queijos were absolutely my favourite thing on the menu on my first visit, and I’m so so glad they’ve added them to the brunch menu as well.
Served with a pot of garlic butter to dip in, they’re soft on the inside and chewy on the outside and perfectly PERFECTLY cheesy. The ultimate hangover comfort food.
For mains, Gary opted to go large and ordered the Picanha Beefburger.
The patties are made of proper beef, using a cut of meat popular in Brazil: the picanha (kind of a mix between the topside and rump). It’s topped with a spicy Malagueta Mayo, matchsticks and beans, all stuffed into a soft brioche bun and served with fries on the side.
The meat was well-cooked, the flavours and textures were great (I especially loved the crunchy matchsticks) and overall it was a really solid burger.
And by solid, I mean: HUGE. Like, so so big.
Gary only managed about half of it, and I had a couple of bites but we still left pretty much half the burger and most of the fries behind.
My main was much lighter: Sweet Potato Hash, topped with crumbled feta and a poached egg.
Honestly? It was a bit bland. The egg was perfectly cooked, but it all just sank into a puddle of not-much-flavour – until I drizzled it with Cabana Brasil’s trademark spicy Malagueta sauce.
I am OBSESSED with this sauce. On our first visit, Cabana gave us bottles of it to take home, and we’ve been adding it to pretty much everything! You have not lived until you’ve tried mixing Malagueta into scrambled eggs on toast. So dreamy.
The creamy, spicy and yum sauce gave the hash a much needed kick, and the textures were soft and comforting, which was definitely needed in my delicate state, but I just wasn’t as impressed as I wanted to be.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I have mixed feelings about this one.
On the one hand, the Bloody Mary is one of the best I’ve ever had in London, the cheesy dough balls are out of this world, and the service is friendly, helpful and relaxed.
They also really did cure my hangover – in a pretty spectacular fashion.
Considering I’d struggled to walk the half hour to the restaurant from our flat in Clapham, within half an hour of arriving and sipping on my drink I felt right as rain, like my hangover had never existed.
On the other hand: the main brunch dishes were, to be frank, disappointing.
Not bad. Just… meh.
They do serve avocado and poached egg on toast for under a fiver though, and I REALLY do love their Bloody Marias… So I think I might need to go back and give them another go.
You know. For research purposes.
NOTE: The Bottomless Brunch menu is currently only available at the Brixton and Islington branches of Cabana.
CABANA BRASIL – BRIXTON
201 – 207 FERNDALE ROAD
BRIXTON
SW9 8BE
Closest tube station: Brixton
PS. Looking for more Brixton brunch options? Check out my reviews of Carioca and Burnt Toast Cafe!
*We were guests of Cabana Brasil for this visit.
All thoughts, words, photos and Malagueta loving are my own!
