Entrepreneur behind restaurant Bossa talks authentic Brazil
“WE wanted to bring a little bit of what people experience when they go to Rio, when they know someone who lives there rather than going as a tourist,” said Tomas Maunier, one of the founders of new Brazilian grill Bossa.
Mr Maunier said that a lot of “themed” restaurants lack authenticity. “We wanted to do something casual and simple,” he said, “as if you were staying at a friends house in Rio and they took you for a bite round the corner.”
Located at the former Zizzi site near the Corn Exchange in Leeds, Mr Maunier said:”It’s a cool place, and a fun area for people to hang out.”
But the vibes are not just what set Bossa apart. Chefs have teamed up to deliver authentic Brazilian barbecue.
Mr Maunier said there were two ways of doing things in authentic Brazilian restaurants, Rodizio style, which features a salad bar similar to Fazenda’s, with meat brought to the table. The second is more familiar to a UK audience, with everything brought to the table.
With 8 cuts of meat on offer, side dishes from the standard (coleslaw and chips) to the exotic, including spicy egg, baked chillies, sweet potato wedges with avocado dip and coxinhas – meat covered in dough which is battered and fried, there is something for everyone, said Mr Maunier, though his favourite is pork belly with requeijao sauce. “They do it in a big clay oven we’ve had installed, and the cheese is sizzling.”
“Picanha, a Brazilian prime cut of beef is great too and the roasted chilli side dish is amazing, not too spicy but the flavour is so strong.
He said they kept the menu purposely simple, and the restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, with vegetarian dishes on offer.
“Bossa is all about being simple,” he said. “It’s not about having an extensive menu, it’s about being simple and fun. We don’t want people to have to spend hours looking at the menu.
“The truth is we’d been planning on doing Bossa for the long time. We were focusing on other things but this opportunity came up just two and a half months ago. Zizzi wanted to get out quickly and we took the opportunity.
“Leeds is booming at the moment for the leisure and hospitality. There’s a lot of stuff happening and more happening in the next few months – it’s always a good place to start.”
