Not previously familiar with traditional Brazilian cuisine, this was my first time experiencing churrascaria-style dining. They say it’s all about sharing good food with good company, so my first concern was if my guest felt I qualified. Describing itself as having a “distinctly playful ambience,” part of the magic of Frevo is in the showmanship as the meat is carved tableside. The advertising also referred to “the most succulent cuts of meat”, so I couldn’t wait to begin.

The restaurant came highly recommended from colleagues and friends alike, since I am known to be a serious meat lover. Quite frankly it wasn’t a hard sell, with 18 types of perfectly cooked meat and as much of it as you can eat – sold, sold and sold. Having butchers in my family, and being fussy about good quality food, I could not wait to try what was on offer.

On arrival we were quickly whisked to the balcony terrace with beautiful views of Fairmont The Palm’s pool, the sea and Dubai Marina. My initial thought was booking ahead for when family are next in town – and I was yet to take a bite. As we sat down we were immediately brought out a few nibbles to start, which despite being delicious, didn’t distract me from the servers passing by with giant slabs of sirloin steak, which seemed my name written all over.

The servers constantly stroll around with various meats to be carved at your table and there is a green light to be turned on when you are ready to devour. Naturally, you can leave it off when you are taking a break. Having tried as many of the meats as I could, this was truly a mixture of classics, stylish and something new. And my light began to run up the electricity bill.

To go through everything they had to offer and pick favourites would be nearly impossible. The stars of the show were the flank steak and the top sirloin. The BBQ chicken wings were delicious and, in hindsight, I would have liked to work my way through all of the meats but couldn’t help having seconds of my favourites. The flank steak in particular could be cut with a fork alone and the flavour was outstanding. As I’ve said in recent reviews, I respect a restaurant that serves a steak and doesn’t feel the need to hide anything behind a sauce. That’s good, honest cooking. With a brackish flavour and a special rub of simple olive oil this really enhanced the natural taste of the meat and does not try to mask what is already there.

The boneless beef ribs were slow cooked and deboned at the table for a dash of showmanship. When I say “deboned”, the ribs were so tender that the meat just fell away from the bone. A big favourite of mine, the meat was delicious with smoky notes. Despite what I said about hiding behind a sauce, some cuts do require a little assistance to help bring out the best in a dish – and for me ribs fall into this category. They need to be slowly cooked and have a marinade to bring out the flavour. Having been brought out a number of sauces to accompany I would recommend a very small amount of the barbecue sauce; not too much, just a touch.

Now for something new… on our server, Fred’s, recommendation – whose product knowledge was exceptional may I add – I decided to try chicken heart for the first time though. In all honesty it was with some hesitation. This has to be ordered on request and takes around 10 minutes but I always ask restaurants to show me what they think they do best and I’m willing to try almost anything. To my great surprise I actually quite enjoyed it, with a real charred taste it was quite unlike anything I have tasted before. Having being asked about in the office I’m still unsure how exactly to describe this; it was very well done but I feel I may not have the heart to try it again. Pun intended.

Despite pleading with Fred that we could not eat another thing, we were promised a small dessert experience, which we could not miss out on. The chocolate samba introduces the chef’s live chocolate creation, appearing before your eyes at the table. I am almost reluctant to ruin the surprise but I wouldn’t be doing my job very well if I said nothing about the display. A sheet of grease proof paper is laid down in the middle of the table and as it is a sharing desert the chocolate is spread over the sheet, with crumbled cookie and chocolate dirt added on top followed by a beautiful passion fruit sorbet, some banana whipped cream and two decedent chocolate fondants added at either side. The desserts all comes together in a portion that could comfortably feed three to four people, and as Fred wanted to ensure, we didn’t miss out on anything. We were even brought some of the churros stuffed with a dulce de leche filling.

I am not sure if Fred was trying to assassinate me by the sheer volume of dessert, having already eaten most of a full animal already, but diligently I soldiered on. Every element of the dessert worked individually and was even better together; the sorbet was mordacious, the chocolate fondant flowing into the chocolate dirt and accompanied with the banana whipped cream is a dessert I would go back for alone. The only regret I have is that we barely made a dent in the menu and I knew the next day I would regret not being able to eat more.

Well worth a visit, this restaurant would suit families or friends who are happy to sit for a few hours grazing on meats, enjoying the beautiful views and possibly sipping a cocktail or two. If this interests you, it’s well worth looking into the Rio Carnival Festival that takes place March 2-9, serving cocktails, with a DJ to create the festival mood and the chance to win a stay at the hotel itself. It is well worth a visit and for good food served always, in all ways, you should try Frevo.