Ideal for… a night out over a meal of Brazilian street food.
Restaurant name and location: Spirito, Media One Hotel, Dubai
Cuisine: Brazilian
Atmosphere: Packed, loud music and happening on a Thursday night
What they say: Spirito Lounge & Kitchen is bringing Brazilian flavour and culture to the heart of Dubai. The new dining concept brings authentic South American dishes, inspired by street food and the dynamic lifestyle & ethos of continentals. Behind the menu is Head Chef, Nilton Rodigo Ceccarelli who has developed and created Spirito’s delicacies. Signature dishes include Pastel De Carne ‘light and thin pastry filled with spicy braised beef, smashed avocado & lime’, Coxinha ‘smoked chicken croquettes with Romesco Sauce’ and Churrasquinho ‘Boneless lamb rib skewer, fennel, apple & peanut slaw’. Also on the menu are fresh juices which can be mixed and muddled with Silver Cachaca or Havana Club spirits to create variations of Brazil’s famous Caipirinha cocktail, taking you from daytime dining through to evening.

What to order:
Beef pastry — delicious, filled with braised beef
Beef carpaccio — fresh with pesto dressing
Salade de manga — mango, avocado, toasted coconut, plantain crisps – I love the seemingly random mix of ingredients
Rack of lamb with chimichurri
Carioca bread with burrata
Doughnuts with dulce de leche — soft doughnuts dipped in the dulce de leche sauce is heavenly

Service: Our waitress, Vicky from Argentina, was very helpful and great at recommending dishes for a newbie.

What I loved:
-The interiors are very funky with prints, and mismatched patterns
-A cool experience, definitely something worth checking out in Dubai
-It’s a great restaurant and a fab lounge with jazz music in the background.
What I didn’t love as much:
-Some of the dishes I wanted to order were unavailable and done for the day, so do come early!
Bill for two: AED 940 (including house wine)
Contact details: http://spirito.ae