Vegetarians look away now! Fazenda, near Liverpool Street Station in London offers meat-lovers the ultimate carnivorous dining experience inspired by the South-American gaucho grill. Helena Lang gets her carving knife ready for a meal to remember.

Where is it?

In the City of London, near Liverpool Street Station this is a mecca for the finance and business workers who toil in the tower blocks nearby

What is all the fuss about?

This is dining as an experience, not just a great dinner – the churrasco style of cooking on offer here takes a steak supper to a whole new level with at least 12 cuts of meat carved and served at your table.

What is the place like?

The downstairs bar, Fino, is a bustling, stylish place to sip a cocktail pre-dinner, especially during Happy Hour. True, there are lots of quilted gilets and Barbour jackets on show, but the tropical vibes – large rain forest plants, tobacco stained wood and teak leather seating up the glam-factor. Upstairs the large restaurant has plenty of tables for two, four and more with some exquisite private dining areas. Centre stage is the salad bar aka the Market Table, heaped with bowls of ingredients to add to your plate including various made salads such as coleslaw, slices of cheese and cold meats, garnishes and sauces, fresh veg, breads and more.

What did you eat and drink?

We kicked off with a Happy Hour treat in the Fino bar. Between 3pm and 7pm you can choose one of three house cocktails for £10, a glass of wine for £8 and a draught lager or Guiness for £6. An absolute bargain in this area. My Bazaar Latino featured my favourite Zubrowka vodka, along with some camomile liqueur, limoncello, Szechuan pepper, ginger, cardamom and all spice. It certainly was a pick me up.

Upstairs we took our seats for the restaurant’s full churrasco experience which costs £49 at lunchtime or £62 in the evening. Anticipating the amount of food to come we decided to forgo starters and browse the Market Table for a selection of salads to accompany the main meal. We were quickly served with the included side dishes; fries, feijoada (a Brazillian black bean stew), rice and sauces and the first of the cuts of meat sliced at our table.

Churrasco is the Portugese and Spanish name for grilled beef and it’s popular in most South American countries including Brazil. It’s become popular to describe a selection of grilled meats – not just beef – and in Brazil, and now in Fazenda, servers roam the restaurant with the meats on skewers slicing meat onto your plate. Fazenda prides itself on the cuts including their signature picanha, sirloin and fillet of beef as well as their cooking technique – the meats are grilled perfectly with a salty crust on the outside and a juicy tender inside.

Our servers brought rump, ribeye, fillet and more, then chicken thigh, a tremendous pork collar marinaded in honey and a lamb picanha which was my favourite. My husband drew a line at chicken hearts but I indulged, all in the name of research of course and enjoyed the tender little meaty morsel.

Your verdict?

This is a date night with a difference, the interaction with the servers, the not knowing which delicious cut of meat is going to be up next and the frequent visits to the Market Stall make it a particularly enjoyable way to eat and experience South American cuisine.