Rio comes to Castle Street

THE launch of Liverpool new Brazilian restaurant Viva Brazil was not without its eventful moments. Big, loud, proud and shaking it all about...and that wasn't just the cocktails.

Last Thursday night was the big glittery opening.

Apart from Coronation Street and Hollyoaks peeps who turned out to toast the city's brand £1m Brazilian barbecue, the launch was celebrated with samba dancers and drummers, a veritable carnival outside in Castle Street to pound the rafters of the nearby Town Hall.

For those staid offices nearby, it proved a real rum do.

Stars such as Hollyoaks' Jorgie Porter and Jessica Fox, and Coronation Street's Sacha Parkinson were seen to be taking in the South American atmosphere.

Viva Brazil is fitted with charcoal barbecue and super salad bar set under impressive crystal chandeliers, just on the corner with Brunswick Street, making it an excellent after work venue.

We like a party at Confidential any time of the day, night or week, so much so that on Sunday, which was a very Morrissey Sunday (cold and grey), we sneaked back again for a another fix of sunny Rio - and to take a first view.

It did the trick. This is a handsomely decorated place. Leather booths, wooden floors and furnishings and a warm, yet elegant atmosphere.

Authentic roving passadors, or carvers, move from table to table, hand carving meat from large skewers for the diners – of which there were many, on this gloomy day outside, with the same idea of taking refuge as us.

On the table - a cardboard signal. Turn it to red if you want the passadors to stay away. When you want more to eat, flip it over to green and they are straight over.

It's fun, this. And the kids especially thought so too. With this army of carvers appearing, there are excellent and numerous opportunities if you feel the young guns need to practise saying please and thank you – or, indeed, if you need to yourself.

There are about 15 choices of meat, beautifully cooked, we have to say, from roast lamb and several cuts of steak and beef, to chicken wings and spicily marinated pork and traditional Brazilian sausage.

Over at a generous and colourful salad bar, you can also help yourselves to a range of traditional Brazilian stews – as if it wasn't all mind boggling enough already.

At an all-in cost of £19.95 per adult and £9.95 for the under 10s on a Sunday , it's as far away from the traditional Sunday lunch and Morrissey's dreary autumn days as you can get. Try it at lunch time for just £12.95 and find out why, in here, there is no such thing as SAD.

Open from 11.30 to 23.30 seven days a week we will review Viva Brazil properly in a few weeks.

In the mean time there is only thing we will advise at this meat fest: Go hungry. Go very, very hungry.

And Morrissey: probably best if you look away.