Cabana

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117 Newgate Street 
Newcastle upon Tyne 
NE1 5RF 

0191 261 2425 
www.cabana-brasil.com 

As I tap out these words, we find ourselves bang slap in the middle of a hefty old summer of sports. The English football team outdid themselves, managing to fall well short of even our most modest expectations; Andy Murray kept us on the edge of our seats (you can tell I’m writing this before he either fails or triumphs this Sunday); and, as if that wasn’t exciting enough, the Olympic Games are just a month away. 

Mrs Diner and I decided to try and get ourselves in the Olympic spirit by having dinner in Rio. Well, actually the Secret Diner’s budget is a bit stretched this month, so we made do with a new “Brasilian Barbecue” restaurant called Cabana, in the former Co-op building on Newcastle’s Newgate Street. It’s a chain – they’ve opened ten of these places across the UK. Based on this experience, I have no idea why.

Viva Brazil (CLOSED)

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42-50 Grey Street 
Newcastle upon Tyne 
NE1 6AE 

0191 260 3533 
www.vivabrazilrestaurants.com 

“Let me tell you about our concept - we’re different to other restaurants!” 

So began a tableside lecture that lasted long enough for me to begin to question whether actually being fed was part of the concept. I zoned out halfway through, assuming that I’d be able to negotiate the rest of the evening without this primer. 

Our server soldiered on through her script. Several times she mentioned the phrase “accept the meat”. 

Accepting the meat is the whole point of a Churrascaria. This Brazilian tradition has been around in Britain for a few years so I’m surprised it’s taken so long to reach the one city that really understands all-you-can-eat. Or, in this case, all-you-can-meat.