Eating Brazilian Food with My Brazilian Best Friend

“We are going to eat Brazilian food for lunch. Leaving at 12 PM. Come” – the message popped up on my office Skype screen. It was from Pedro, my Brazilian friend.

“What is Brazilian food?” I typed back. Almost an hour later, he replied “You ask too many questions. Come”. It wasn’t even an invitation. It’s just an order. Typical Pedro Ha!

I weighed down my lunch options; eating while reading my Kindle downstairs or expanding my palate, eating Brazilian food with a Brazilian; the latter seemed better. Even if the Brazilian, in this case, is rude. The only thing that was holding me back was I wasn’t sure how flavorful would the dish be and how Pedro couldn’t handle spicy food.

It has been one hell of a workweek, I needed to eat good food. And good food for me usually equates to something Asian and spicy.

My thought travelled back to the first time we spoke to each other many moons ago. We were doing overtime when he asked me what dish I missed the most from my hometown before proceeding with a lengthy description of Vattapa, the Brazilian food he missed the most. Vatapa is a thick coconut milk-based stew of prawns and bread. I recalled that Vatapa sounded a lot like Indian prawn curry. I would like that!

“Will there be Vatapa?”. “No. Come. Now”. The reply came immediately.

Bcoz Brazilian Food

353 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

The minute I entered Bcoz I knew I was in for a treat. I could almost taste the fun, energy, and passion running through this place. It took me a few minutes to learn how ordering food here worked.

You are supposed to choose the base (white/brown rice), the main protein usually in the form of gravy. The most loved version is called Feijoada. It’s a stew of pork meat, herbs and black beans which’s traditionally cooked in a pot. The last on the line is a wide variety of toppings (this is where the fun begins) where you can choose however many you want before paying based on your orders.

In the end, I followed Pedro’s way while changing my choices to the spiciest ones.

Brazilian Street Food

Pedro also ordered Brazilian snacks despite a huge pile of food on his plate. Coxinhas and Brigadeiros, both he claimed to be some of his favourite Brazilian street food. Coxinhas is fried dough with shredded chicken and cheese fillings. It tasted like Indian samosa or Indonesian pastel. Meanwhile, Brigadeiros is a pure delight of soft and small condensed milk balls covered in chocolate sprinkles.

That day turned me into a fan of Brazilian food. In the spirit of exchanging cultures, I introduced him to Asian food. From Tom Yum Noodle Soup, which he liked to South Indian Thali meal, he ate out of (rare) politeness.

Recently Pedro moved back to Brazil, creating a huge shitty hole in my heart and daily work routines. Ever since I haven’t been to Bcoz again. I want it frozen as our shared memory, but I promised him I’ll try other Brazilian food restaurants in Melbourne.

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