Have you tried a ‘Churrascaria’ recently? For that matter, did you know what a Churrascaria was? I’ll come clean and say that I was not at all conversant with Brazilian cuisine, though Madame said she had tried it in Portugal! Fortunately, Marc Groh, the GM of Zico’s Brazilian Grill and Bar is on hand to help any novices (such as me). For that matter, any of the lovely serving ladies can tell you all about it, but order a Caiparinya first, to ‘wet the whistle’ and whet the appetite.
Zico’s is in a stand alone building in front of the new Central Festival complex on Pattaya Beach Road. It is clearly marked and is actually a three storey building. The top floor is an open air (but covered) bistro style deck designed to get all the cooling breezes from Pattaya Bay, as well as a great viewing point for the famous Pattaya sunsets. The next floor down is ground level with a central kitchen area and two balconies, and then there is a lower ground floor, but this is still under construction.
Before I go any further, an explanation of the Churrascaria concept is in order: this is a Brazilian BBQ style of eating, in which several different skewers of meats and seafood are brought to your table and carved in front of you. And the Caiparinya is a Brazilian (very refreshing) drink, but beware of the potency!
A little more detail is in order, as Zico’s is not like the usual restaurant venue, as it has different offers, depending upon what night you attend - and some of those offers are honestly quite amazing. Tuesday and Friday nights seem to be the “standard” offering which is called the Caipi Night with the all you can eat Churrascaria dinner with salad bar and side dishes plus a free flow of Caipiroska cocktails for B. 750+7% VAT. Wednesday and Sunday nights see some 50 percent discounts on offer and on Thursdays is the Chicas nights where ladies get the dinner for B. 299. Saturdays have the dinner and free flow Argentine wines for an astounding B. 888. And if you want to make it a family feast, children under 12 eat free!
The wine list is made up of reasonably priced wines, with the Argentine wines under B. 1,200 and Australian Jacob’s Creek under B. 1,600. You won’t go wrong with either of these.
We helped ourselves to the salad bar and then the “side” items, which included sauté potatoes and a beef stew, both of which I like. But then it was time to sample the Churrascaria. On the table is a disc, green on one side and red on the other. Turn it green side up and it was immediate “Go”! Along came the skewers (read ‘swords’) with chicken, duck, Australian beef, king prawns and another 11 different items. Indicate your fancies and the item is carved for you and you grab your tongs and place the food on your plate. Quickly turn the disc to red and enjoy your food without interruptions. Turn back to green and more, and more, and more keeps on arriving until you again turn to red. In between our greens to red, two Samba School Brazilian dancers kept up the Brazilian atmosphere.
We ate so much, there was no possibility of sampling desserts, and we drank the Jacob’s Creek Cabernet Shiraz, though I am told the Argentine Santa Julia Fuzion goes well with the Churrascaria.
This was our first visit to Zico’s and I can assure you it will not be our last. Zico’s offers the diners a night of good food, music and fun. The Samba school dancers are energetic, to say the least, and are only too willing to pose for photographs. Zico’s is a welcome addition to the Dining Out scene in Pattaya. Highly recommended.
Zico’s Brazilian Grill and Bar, Central Festival Pattaya Beach, telephone 038 043 517 or 085 230 2089, email [email protected], open seven days 12 noon to 6 p.m. (a la carte and snacks) and 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. for the Brazilian Churrascaria and other Brazilian offers, depending upon the day. Secure parking in Central Festival.

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Microwave Garlic Prawns

Garlic prawns are universally popular and using the microwave is a quick and easy way to present a mouthwatering starter for any meal.
If you have an asbestos mat to use or wire grid to put the heat proof cooking dish on then you can serve the prawns directly to the table from the microwave. Remember that microwaved food continues to cook for a minute or so after removal from the oven. Warn your guests that the prawns will be very hot.

Ingredients                          serves 4 Prawns, shelled and deveined    500 gms Cooking oil                               2 tbspns Garlic, minced                          2 cloves Oyster sauce                            3 tbspns Soya sauce                              2 tbspns Lemon juice                              1 tbspn Coarsely ground black pepper     2 tspns

Cooking Method
Remove heads and tails from the prawns and with a sharp knife cut along the back of the body. Mix oil and garlic in a heat-proof bowl and cover with plastic wrap and cook on high for 1 minute. Add oyster sauce, soya sauce and lemon juice. Cover again and cook for 30 seconds on high. Pat prawns dry with paper towel, add to sauce in heatproof bowl and cook four minutes on high. Sprinkle with black pepper and serve on individual plates.