Open Mon–Sat midday–11pm, Sun midday–10pm
Having swam through the tide of Westfield shoppers and pouring rain, we welcomed the warm retreat Cabana offered. The open space and artistic décor, along with mood lighting and vibrant Brazilian music, created the illusion of being far from the maddening crowd. The few cohorts here were relaxed and smiley, laughing over cocktails and mounds of sharing platters.
The very friendly and attentive waiter, Joe, showed us to our seats and we ordered drinks. I had a Red Tail Parrot (£6.25) – a yummy concoction of Cachaça, strawberry, passion fruit and lime topped with Prosecco, while the bf ordered The Dream Team (£6.25), also a fruity Cachaça-based drink (in line with the Brazilian theme) but served in a victory mug and garnished with a flaming passion fruit.
Friendly Joe then returned to explain the menu: street food is ordered to start, then a half or whole skewer as a main, with traditional Brazilian sides, sharers and sauces. We ordered chicken coxinhas (£4.45) and cheesy dough balls (£3.95) to start. The dough balls were pretty standard, however, the few morsels of chicken, packed with delicious spices, made a good appetizer as they really got the taste buds going.
In keeping with the founders’ ‘communal food’ motto, we ordered a selection of dishes: half a skewer of chilli cumin lamb with palm hearts (£6.25), half a skewer of Portobello mushrooms and halloumi (£4.45) and a whole skewer of spicy malagueta chicken with red peppers (£9.65). These were all brought over on the skewers and plonked, still sizzling, onto our plates, along with our French fries (£3.45), biro-biro rice (£2.95), green salad (£3.25), and a trio of Brazilian sauces. I would definitely recommend ordering this way as there is much more to be gained mixing these flavours than eating the dishes individually. For instance, I found the lamb a little dry and flavourless until combined with the chimichurri sauce. However, the chicken skewer was perfect on its own.
Although the food was yummy enough and the interior ticked all the boxes, it was difficult to shake the knowledge that we were in a chain(ish) restaurant in Westfield – perhaps a glorified Nando’s, dare I say it? Nonetheless, if flavoursome, affordable food is what you’re after, I would definitely recommend Cabana.
