Boteco – A Perfect Harmony Of Flavours!

There are instances in life when no matter how hard you try to make things happen, they happen only when destined. Today was one such day. I had been itching to visit Boteco for many years and, could never make it. Last night a friend suggested we have lunch there and I jumped at the chance. Boteco serves Brazilian-South American cuisine. The afternoon vibe at the restaurant was bright and airy. While they do have lots of vegetarian dishes on their menu, it’s a haven for carnivores.

We began our meal with Diet Cokes and a complimentary Amuse Bouche; Potato Leek Soup shot and a small kebab similar to a Falafel. Both turned out to be nice.

For appetizers we ordered Linguica com Mandioca (INR 410). These were fabulously seasoned pork sausages; made in-house. The flavour was excellent! 

The Cassava fries and roasted green chili chutney, served as accompaniments, complemented the sausages beautifully.

Our second appetizer was the Pork Momo (INR 410). The casing of the Momo was as delicate (as it should be) and the pork mince within was perfectly seasoned and spiced. 

Also, the mince was gorgeously light and not a hard, clumped up mess of meat. The chef had drizzled a soy-caramel reduction over the Momos and when I bit into the first Momo, I could have bawled with joy. Such a perfect harmony of flavours is rare!

I’m a hardcore carnivore but I loved the cassava fries so much, we ordered an extra portion of the same. So darn yum!!

For our main course we chose the Mix Grill (INR 690). It was a meaty platter of beef steak, pork, lamb, in-house pork sausage. 

Each piece of protein had been cooked and seared to perfection! What thrilled me most, though, was that the beef was served exactly as it is meant to be served; medium rare! *drool-face* 😉

The sides served with the meats were Chili Paste, Mustard Paste, Cherry Tomatoes, Farofa, Thyme Butter, Mushroom, Pineapple Chutney, Onions, Mash Potato and Cassava Fries.

While most of the sides are self-explanatory, most of you will be wondering about Farofa. I ate Cassava for the very first time and was very interested to know more about this vegetable. Yes, yes, you read right, ‘vegetable’. I googled this delicious baby. What I read was immensely interesting. I won’t go into the details but if you try it at Boteco and like it as much as I did, do read up on it. It’s an interesting read. In short, Cassava, a starchy tuber, kind of a woody shrub, also known as Manioc when grated-ground, dried, toasted in butter and, usually, salted is known as Farofa or Manioc flour. It pairs beautifully with grilled meats!

The pineapple chutney was tempered with a slight hint of mustard seeds. When eaten with a bit of chili paste and beef, it was a tiny gastronomic explosion in the mouth. The only thing I will crib about is the portion size of the sides. Ideally, a bit more of each, especially the onions, mash potato, mushroom and farofa, would be ideal. All the sides paired superbly with the meats.

Lastly, for dessert we opted for the Profiteroles. The Choux Pastry was light and airy but instead of cream the Choux was filled with Vanilla Ice cream (very good quality of ice cream was used for this) and drizzled with a good amount of Chocolate Sauce. It was a decadent end to a very delectable meal!

I waited years to go to Boteco and now that I have had a taste of the deliciousness served there, I cannot wait to return. Thank you Team Boteco for a pleasant, peaceful afternoon of delectableness. Please keep up with the quality of food and service. I promise to return!😉

Address: 302, Power Plaza, 3^rd floor, Lane 7, Above State Bank of India, Koregaon Park, Pune (Elevator available)

Tel: +91 9158749997 / +91 9158707056