Gold Elite Dinner: Fazenda

Wow Wow!! What an absolutely stunning event at Fazenda!
I felt privileged to be invited down to the Gold Elite Dinner where I joined some of the best Yelpers around for a gorgeous evening meal.
After hearing all about Fazenda, the concept and the passion from Tomas (one of the directors) we headed up to the salad bar to get stuck into some amazing foods.
You name it, this salad bar has it! Cold cuts, olives, cheese, salad, rice, mushrooms, potatoes! I could have filled up just eating the salad.
Then, the best part! The MEAT. Served to you at your table by the waiters, there's a circulation of the most delicious cuts of meat which are sliced directly onto your plate.
Such a fantastic evening with lovely food and lovely company. Thank you as always to Matt F. for such a nice event!

What better way to celebrate 5 years of Yelping than a meaty feast at Fazenda? Matt F. knows us so well!

We were greeted by Matt & Tomas, Sales & Marketing Director at Fazenda, with a glass of fizz next to the sunny windows of the restaurant. It's a beautiful space in Spinningfields which has some really unique fittings, including large candelabras and huge mirrored doors in the bathrooms.

We were lucky enough to have our own private area for the meal; a lovely space which is just open enough to still feel a part of the restaurant (and keep an eye on the salad bar queue...) and would be perfect for any special occasion. The evening started with a trip to the salad bar, following by endless deliveries of meat. And I mean endless - I completely lost track!

I went predominantly for vegetables from the bar, including delicious broccoli, green beans & feta salad, and some amazing hot / sweet drop peppers. There were a few small pieces of crisp tomato or garlic bread I also failed to resist! Paired with items such as bacon wrapped chicken, sausage, rump steak and gammon, you can really have a perfectly paired and balanced meal. Just be sure to think ahead!

As it was a special occasion, we were also treated to a variety of white and red wines throughout the evening to match with both white and red meats. Tomas talked us through the tasting notes from each glass and we had an excellent chat at the end of our table about the difference in UK eating culture vs. basically the rest of the world.

The trio of miniature desserts provided a lovely end to the meal; they weren't too heavy, with some lovely citrus cheesecake alongside a denser chocolate mousse.

Thanks to Fazenda, Tomas and Matt for a great Monday evening. Same again next week?

Currently sporting a major food baby after the biggest meat feast I've had in a long time. Having been to Brazil and Argentina, it's hard to find somewhere that can match up to South American standards, but Fazenda delivers - and then some.

It's a really impressive venue - gold and black decor setting a sophisticated tone - giving the Brazilian BBQ concept an upmarket twist. We were welcomed into our own private dining room, where our lovely host talked us through South American food and drink.

We were given the opportunity to sample Argentinian vs Brazilian wine (I was driving but all were delicious), before tucking in to countless rounds of meat and poultry. Highlights were definitely the honey pork belly, rib eye steak and topside beef!

There's an incredible buffet with everything from salad to sushi and stuffed vine leaves... Just don't fill up too much! Just about managed to make room for dessert too - also rich, flavoursome and indulgent.

Thanks to Fazenda and Yelp for hosting a fabulous inaugural Gold Elite dinner - I felt privileged to be there!!

Hot summer's evening...Spinningfields...champagne reception...atmospheric decor...private dining...finest rodizo...wine tasting...unlimited gourmet salad bar...trio of desserts...little Yelp mints...WOW! What a treat. I'm so pleased I was chosen to experience the first Yelp Gold Elite Event. Thank you! I'm still full 12 hours later and I may never eat again (she's lying).

Our charismatic host for the evening, Thomas, welcomed us with Argentinian Chandon and led us to our private air-conditioned (yes I was melting) dining area and gave us a brief history of Rodizo and served us Pinot grigio and Riesling to accompany our white meat selection. The pork belly just melted in my mouth. Food heaven. We then sampled Tempranillo and Malbec to accompany the red meats...the file-mignon and contra filet were just perfect. I don't like my meat bloody, so it was grilled a little longer and served pink...just how I like it.

Thomas explained the allergen menus to me, I could try most of the meats and a lot of the sides and salad...result! I was not disappointed. I was also served a trio of sorbets - lemon, mango and raspberry, which were delicious and refreshing. My eyes are certainly bigger than my belly; my service card needed to be turned to red a lot sooner. I couldn't finish my dessert =(

This is the best Rodizo restaurant I've been to, granted I've only been to one other. I'll definitely be returning here. Well played Fazenda. Well played.

What a great evening - thanks to Matt for inviting me & to Thomas for hosting the evening and telling us a little bit about Fazenda.

The food was amazing - especially the Fillet which was my favourite. The service throughout the evening was superb and we were never waiting for more meat. The 'salad' bar (which contains much more than just salad) was excellent and definitely the best I have seen.

The wines which were paired with the food were all very nice but the brazillian red (I have forgotten the name of it :-( ) was the tastiest for myself.

If you are looking for an evening where it is as much about the food as well as the atmosphere then definitely try out Fazenda!!

It was Manchester's first ever Yelp Gold Elite event on Monday. As Gold Elite myself, I was lucky enough to be invited. I was very happy when I found it was in Fazenda - one of my favourite restaurants.

We arrived and had a welcome drink - a white sparkling wine called Chandon which was lovely. When everyone arrived, we went to one of the private rooms near the back of the restaurant. I have been to Fazenda a few times so I already knew what a beautiful interior the place has.

We got a welcome from Matt and then also Tomas from Fazenda - the Sales and Marketing Director - all about Fazenda. If you don't know, at Fazenda (and other Brazilian BBQ places), basically large pieces of meat which are then slowed grilled over open flamed pits by Gaúchos. The chefs roast cuts of meat in the way it has been done for centuries, preserving the individual taste of each tender cut. Yum!!!

Now before we were served the food, Tomas asked if anyone was a vegetarian - although you can still eat nice food if you are vegetarian, you are not really "making the most of it" of you are. One thing to mention is that if you have any allergies, they are really good with it. Someone in the group can't have gluten so was given a different dessert. At the salad bar, its clearly marked what different items have and don't have - read Chloe C's review (and photos).

As well as the meat, there is also a large salad bar with various things such as rice, salads, sushi, potatoes, cheeses etc. But don't fill up too much on this - leave room for the meat!

Usually at Fazenda, the meat comes round in a random order. Just whatever has come out of the kitchen. However, on this occasion it was different. We started off with the white meats, to be paired with a couple white wines, including sausages, chicken thighs, pork belly.

Then on to the red meat paired with red wine. This included rump, rib eye, gammon. Yum. I missed out on the lamb - it ended up on one end of the table but must have run out.

It was all delicious as always although the gammon, which on previous times has been incredible, was just "very good". I think probably because I was so full at that point. And also maybe because it was towards the end of the gammon, so maybe not as juicy?? This is in one way complaining about the gammon or anything.

For dessert, we had a trio of mini desserts.

As always, I had a great time at Fazenda. Lovely food, great service. All in the company of great Yelpers.

Thanks to Tomas and all at Fazenda and to Matt. If you have never been to Fazenda before, I highly recommend going. Evening is more expensive - you can more meat options. Lunch is actually I think quite good value in a way (especially since you may not need to eat the rest of the day!). But if you do go, go with a big empty stomach...... and be prepared to leave with a food baby.

Did someone say meat? I don't think I will look at a cow the same way ever again. Last night I was honoured to be invited to dine with the Gold Elite at Fazenda. I had been meaning to try the Fazenda experience and had heard excellent things about the food. Everyone raved about the range of meats and particularly the gammon. This I had to try.

The restaurant is very elegantly decorated and after a glass of Chandon in the reception area we were taken through to the function room. Thomas was our host for the evening and he talked passionately about the wine, food and the concept behind the restaurant. It is always so exciting to see people who are so enthusiastic and proud about the food they are delivering and it always comes across in the quality of the produce.

We started with the salad bar and I had to stop my inner vegetable lover from stocking up too much on the delicious salads and vege options. I knew there was an extensive amount of meat coming and I needed to leave space in my stomach. The first meats to arrive were chicken and pork to accompany the white wines we were sampling. It was Brazil vs Argentina in the wine selection and Argentina won gold for both the red and white for my palate.

The chicken was delicious but then came the red meats - large cuts of meat on skewers were expertly delivered to the table and sliced onto our plates with exceptionally large knives. I have no idea how much meat I consumed but it was a lot and it was all really good - and it was fantastic that you could have it served to whatever cooking style you wanted. With blood please.

The quality of the beef was exceptional - buttery and moreish! It was hard to say no as more meat continued to walk past me.

To finish off the meal we were served a platter of 3 mini desserts - 2 cheesecakes and a chocolate mousse. It was the perfect way to end a meal.

This was one of the best Yelp events I have been to in some time - the quality of the food and service, the atmosphere and the delightful company made for an exceptionally good evening.

When this event was announced I almost died from excitement. I've only been to Fazenda once before and I absolutely loved it, so I was overjoyed when I was invited to Yelp Manchester's very first Gold Elite event.

Upon arrival we were welcomed with some delicious Argentinian sparkling wine and Thomas, our host for the evening, introduced himself and chatted to us.

We dined in one of the private rooms which was great, you get an element of private dining without being tucked away out of sight. Also, very close to the buffet bar.

We started the meal with white wine and white meat. The chicken thigh was very tasty, personally I think it's one of the least exciting options but very delicious and good for people who don't eat red meat. I'm also glad I got some of the pork belly earlier in the evening this time, as last time it was one of the last things I ate and I had reached maximum capacity.

Then onto the red wine and the red meat. So much red meat. I think my heart is still straining itself a few days later. The standout for me was the pichana (cap on rump) which was possibly the best steak I've ever eaten. I'm not sure if I didn't have this last time as I don't remember it, but it was really incredible. All the other meats were delicious too. The morcilla was delicious.

Throughout the evening I had numerous platefuls from the buffet bar which was very excellent. Recently I'm trying to be mindful of my carb consumption, particularly on days when I've skipped the gym in order to go for drinks in the sunshine (!) and obviously Fazenda is the place to be for a satisfying and delicious meal that's not carb heavy. In particular I enjoyed the ceviche, the green bean/chorizo/feta salad, the aubergine with pomegranate and yoghurt, the asparagus and the broccoli with chilli. I did of course snaffle a few of the cheesy dough balls at the table however.

Thomas was a charming and informative host all evening, teaching us about wine and Brazilian and Argentinian culture, and chatting to us about restaurants in Manchester and Leeds.

Dessert was a trio of desserts which were all delicious though the chocolate one was my favourite. Between all the meat, wine and a rich chocolate dessert, needless to say this was a very heavy meal and I could have definitely had a nap at the table afterwards.

Thanks to Thomas and the team at Fazenda for their excellent hospitality, to Matt for organising it, and to everyone for being such great company!

This certainly set the gold standard for gold elite events. Sadly only 3 out of the 4 could make it in the end to what was a perfect evening at beautiful Fazenda. I really enjoyed the Argentinian Chandon sparkling white wine we had on arrival and would look out for that again. Hitting the salad bar I was a bit unrestrained but at least now I can report back that you should DEFINITELY try the aubergine and the three colour tomato and mozarella salad and the spicy sweet potato are also great.

Meat wise, I really enjoyed the filet steak which was only slightly best by the truly delicious picanha. What's great is that basically everything you get in outstanding, the sausages were excellent, I genuinely enjoyed the morcela and the black beans accompaniment was rich and moreish.

Service was great and I can say that having been there on a previous occasion this was not just because a director was dining with us. Thomas was charming, even summoning a Brazilian beer for James C who mentioned he liked it when he visited - Fazenda are the first to import it into the UK! All of the wine was excellent and it was particularly nice to try some unusual options - Brazlian pinot grigio/riesling is a winning combination and the Alamos Torrentes, the reasonably priced house white, has a lovely floral flavour.

Definitely one of the best restaurants in Manchester and ideal for a special occasion. Book one of the rooms if you can.

I need a 6th star for this event!!

A beautiful restaurant was the backdrop to a warm welcome where we were greeted by a glass of Argentinian champagne made by Moet & Chandon. Our table was soon ready so we made our way through the restaurant to our exquisite private dining room. An enormous dining table surrounded by the most comfortable leather dining chairs awaited. We were joined by Thomas who is one of the directors of Fazenda. He gave us a brief resume of the business and talked us though the food and drink options. We tried 2 white wines and 2 red wines each, 1 was from Brazil and 1 was from Argentina for us to compare. I have to say that I actually preferred the Brazilian wines. In conversation with Thomas I mentioned some beers that I'd had in Brazil a couple of years ago. Low and behold, a bottle of 'Devassa' arrived - what a nice touch! Apparently Fazenda are the first in the UK to retail this particular Brazilian beer.

Onto the food, the 'salad bar' is like no other. Theres an incredible range of food including olives, cheeses, chorizo, smoked salmon, to name but a few. Forget lettuce, tomato & cucumber!! This salad bar must have over a hundred different items to select. The creamy mushrooms were a particular favourite of mine.

So as with most Brazilian churrascarias meat is brought out as its ready to eat. So many different cuts of beef which were interesting to compare. Everything tasted incredible including the minted lamb, pork belly, sausage, chicken wrapped in bacon and even a black pudding!! After all that I really didn't have room for dessert, but still I ate it anyway. A selection of desserts including a fabulous chilled chocolate dessert.

A completely amazing event from start to finish. Great food and drink, great company and a fantastic environment. Theres nothing I could fault, and to prove it I still feel full a day later!

Thanks to Matt and all the guys at Fazenda for an incredible experience, I feel honoured to have experienced.