Nations Bar

It's friday night and nothing says friday more than drinks with friends, so we headed up to Nations Bar. The house offers 60 drinks, 25 which are house specials. The intimate, modern, cosmopolitan, Nations Bar is vibrant with hot neon lights and loud electronic music. People mingle, flirt and dance around the crowded balcony where delicious drinks are served by the very talented bar man. First up the Cosmo-champagne, served in a large wine glass garnished with champagne and ice. The drinks have very peculiar names and some quite naughty, like the infamous porn star cicciolina prepared with rum, strawberries, spiced sugar and sparkling wine; another one on the naughty list is the nations porn star, vodka, passion fruit and sparkling wine or how about a screaming orgasm, vodka, baileys, coffee liquor, amaretto, milk, whip-cream and cherry. Hungry and fond of finger food? Nations bar servers up delicious hot dishes! My favorite has to be the meat croque with pepper jam! spicy, sweet, soft and chunky! Nations bar is the call for happy hour, with crazy specials on the drinks!

Nations Bar

Devassa

The Brazilian Beer Devassa launched by Playboy is the result of a partnership between the brewery and the men's magazine which aims to highlight some attributes of both brands, particularly daring and sensuality. The long neck bottle of 275 milliliters is colorless and has unique shape: the sinuous shape of the packaging mimics a feminine silhouette. The name Devassa and pin-up icon of the brand is engraved onto the bottle. The beer also has a sleek canned version of 269 ml with the illustration of the pin-up designed by Don Lewis the original and famous creator of the playboy bunnies.

Brasilia Restaurant Week

Success among the public and the business of the city, the federal capital receives the 9th edition of Restaurant Week Brasilia between 15 and 28 July. The festival will feature more than 80 participants gathered in an effort to democratize gastronomical experiences in Brasilia. The special menus, complete with starter, main course and dessert, will be offered at a promotional price of R $ 34.90 for lunch and R $ 47.90 for dinner (drinks, service and cover charge not included). The BSBRW is sponsored by MasterCard and support national space Itaú Cinemas and Magazine meeting. Black and Platinum MasterCard customers will have the opportunity to enjoy the event with only a week in advance, between March 08 and 14 July.

www.restaurantweek.com.br/bsb

Loca como tu madre

Loca como tu madre, has been for a while now one of my favorite Gastropubs in the city. A place with modern decor and vibrant colors and a very "loungy" feel to it. Bromeliads hang the walls and a charming garden awaits you out back. The vinyl records play anything from jazz, soul, black music, to samba and bossa nova depending on the night. A great place to lay back and enjoy the lively atmosphere. A young and jovial crowd hangs at loca, also a hotspot for the gay and lesbian crowd.  The house offers a broad menu for drinks, wine and imported beer. Thursdays loca hosts a sparkling wine happy hour with a special price on the bottles. Yummy tidbits and snacks come fresh out of the kitchen. The fillet rôti in panocha is a great bite for sharing and wine tasting. This traditional spicy sauce has a serious kick to it, not for those of weak taste buds. The chef Renata Carvalho also added some regional and elaborative dishes the "bolling acostelado" (Pot beef scones) which is inspired by her grandmother's family recipe, the secret to the success is the lightness of the filling, the meat is slow cooked for 12 hours with red wine and cinnamon, making it an absolute treat. The house has a lot of personality and so does the food. The service is good and making a reservation over the phone is easy and recommended. smoking is permitted. wine and food should set you back about 100$R each.

Loca Como Tu Madre

Address: CLS 306 Bloco, C Loja 36 - Asa Sul - Brasilia
www.locacomotumadre.com.br
Telephone: (61) 3244-5828

Grubster

The new "exclusive" Dinner club; Grubster has made its way to Brasilia's gastronomical circuit. Grubster is an Iphone/Android app which allows you to make reservations directly on your phone, in the participating restaurants and best of all there is a 30% discount on the total sum of your bill (drinks included!) How Grubster works is you buy reservation credits on Grubster. One reservation is 10 $RS reais and is valid for 3 months (5 reservations 40$ reais valid for 6 months) Once you choose to use your credits make a reservation through the Grubster app on your phone and once you arrive at the chosen restaurant give the name on the reservation and inform them you're a Grubster client. After enjoying and savoring your meal the discount will be automatically discounted from your bill. Simple as that, you just saved yourself 30% on your bill! But wait there is a service fee of 10% on the total sum of your bill.

www.grubster.com.br

How to calculate this service fee:

Ex.: Your bill = R$200,00 / Service fee = R$20,00 /  Grubster discount= R$60,00 / Your bill with Grubster = R$140,00

Grubster on Iphone

Daniel Briand

Sunday morning and you're looking for a brunch? The place is Daniel Briand; The French Pastry and Chocolatier is set in a beautiful garden with a lively atmosphere, the smell of fresh french batches of brioche, croissants, chocolate bread and macaroons, fill the garden and make it authentic! Brasilienses flock to enjoy this french delicacy, sometimes requiring to wait for a table.We were quickly seated and started off with what for me is classic for any brunch, a flute of champagne or sparkling wine. We went with Chandon brut. The house serves glasses of Chandon for those not fully awake for a bottle. On the downside Daniel Briand doesn't serve mimosas but that doesn't stop you from ordering orange juice and mixing your own.The waiters dressed in typical french berets are scarce and required some patience.

Photography by: Telmo Ximenes

Diego started out with an omelet of cheese and ham that is a bit under cooked which doesn't leave it with a rubbery consistency; and of course lots of butter! I went with the chicken and mushroom quiche that was a delight! Served with green salad dressed in olive oil. A classic on the menu is the premiére formule, a combination of croissant, bread with chocolate, almond brioche, butter, gruyere cheese, champagne patê and home made strawberry jam! It also includes orange juice or coffee. Next up we ordered a trois Crème brûlée; strong rose essence, chocolate and lemon grass, all three very good. Not too sweet. No strong taste of eggs. Very light. très bon!

Photography by: Eat Brasilia

I really enjoy sitting at Daniel Briand and watching time pass in the mist of this ever so beautiful garden; really gets you feeling like you somehow woke up in paris! To top it of a couple of macaroons. A brunch in this hidden gem could set you back about 60$RS each, with a bottle of sparkling wine. Everything on the menu can be ordered for take out! 

Address: CLN 104, Bloco A, Loja 26 - Asa Norte - Brasilia
www.cafedanielbriand.com
Telephone: (61) 3326-1135 

Enfim

Enfim. Upscale. Lounge. Restaurante. Bar. The place is very charming and cozzy with low lighting and beautiful decoration. The Very high ceilings with steel beams and raw concrete wall make an interesting combination with the wooden floors and furniture. The mood is set by lounge music playing at just the perfect volume, giving the restaurant a very lively, fun mood!

Photography by: Bruno Pimentel

We started with a couple of pisco-sours, prepared in its very traditional method, topped with egg whites; good but nothing too exceptional. On the other hand the cosmopolitans are made in their own special way and was really something, with a very exquisite sour taste to it, garnished with hearts made of orange peel. For entrées we ordered "Polvo à Provençal" (octopus à provençal) very soft chunks of octopus covered in a spicy sauce that just gave this entrée its special touch. Diego ordered a ceviche that just by the looks it was going to be quite an entrée, very beautiful presentation; marinated sea bass, shrimp, octopus, mussels, squid, caviar, accompanied by gazpacho of red chillies. The music started to get louder as we went into the night but nothing too loud where it became an issue. The service was very pleasant, nothing to complaint about which is quite hard to find in Brasilia. Waiters are very well trained and stay close by for any requests.

Photography by: Bruno Pimentel

The house offers an outside patio for those hot summer nights, a lounge upstairs which we did not visit and a bar where a more lively and jovial crowd mingles. Now to the main dishes. The house offers 10 main contemporary dishes ranging from special cuts of meat to seafood. We went with "Lagosta ao wasabi" (wasabi lobster) and "Robalo ao coco com risotto poivre"(Coconut bass fish with risotto au poivre). The lobster was ever so tender severed with quinoa cuscus and covered with wasabi sauce and fine herbs. The sauce was delicious but the strong taste of wasabi roots did not stand out or add to the dish. The quinoa cuscus was very moist and had a mix of fresh nuts and raisins which was really spectacular. The coconut bass fish had a strong essence of coconut, the bass fish was very soft and cooked to perfection! The risotto au poivre was just the opposite, undercooked and a bit hard. But the poivre black sauce was great very exotic and was able to save the dish. Unfortunately we were full And had no room for dessert. The overall experience was great and it's defiantly a place i would go back to enjoy the other dishes on the menu or just for a drink at the bar. A dinner with drinks will set you back about 150/200 $RS. The house also has a great wine and champagne menu. The house accepts reservations and offers valet service for an additional price.

Address: SCLS 210, Bloco C, Loja 38 - Asa Sul - Brasilia
Telephone: (61) 3443-8878.

Photography by: Bruno Pimentel