Brazilian Music in a tunnel shaft

Who doesn't love a good underground gig?

The Brunel Museum`s world music series was literally below ground in a tunnel shaft.  It gets my vote for "best place to go to escape a heat wave / hide from a zombie apocalypse."

After a brief talk about the history of the site (at one point it was home to London`s first, and one assumes last, underwater brothel) we listened to the hypnotic beats of Adriano Alewale`s large range of percussion instruments, accompanied by Diego Rio on guitar. There was even a small bar set up in the shaft!   I didn't partake in any alcoholic drinks however as the staircase down the shaft would have been somewhat challenging to negotiate whilst tipsy.

Pinta: The Modern & Contemporary Latin American Art Show

I've occasionally thought that it's not as easy to find Latin American art in London as it is to find European, North American and African art.  So I was pleased to see Pinta advertised in the tube and even more pleased to find a voucher online for a free ticket. 

Paolo Campochiaro, Uruguay

 The Corpo Colectivo from Alison Jacques Gallery

 From Whisper to Shout by Germán Gómez from Spain

 Marco Mojica from Colombia

 Sandra de Berduccy from Bolivia

 Nuno Sousa Vieira from Portugal

Egg by Karen Estrada from El Salvador 

 The Simple Plan by Jean Marc Calvet from France/Nicaragua

 Evolution in Spring 1/5 by Jean Jacques Ribi from Panama/Italy

 Anatares by Omar Carreño from Venezuela

Untitled by Matilde Pérez from Chile

While she Waiting she was Thinking about the Dream by Luis González Palma from Guatemala

Brazilian Churros

At Greenwich market there are range of stalls selling food from different countries. I'd just had lunch but managed to find room for a tasty brazilian snack, rolled in cinnamon sugar and filled with chocolate and caramel sauce.  These churros seem to be different from Spanish ones in that they are much bigger and hollow so that you can fill them with chocolatey goodness.

You can also try food from Japan, China, Thailand, Portugal and Ethiopia (below),

No Lone Zone

No Lone Zone is a miliary term which means an area which is unathorised to enter if you are alone. It is also the name of an exhibition in the Level 2 Gallery at the Tate Modern by the following Latin American artists:

- Cinthia Marcelle from Brazil
- Teresa Margolles from Mexico
- Terecerunquinto, A Mexican collective
- David Zink Yi from Peru

Teresa Morgolles's work ´Score Settling´ takes fragments of glass from drive by shooting sites and use it to create jewellery resembling the style worn by the narcos who organised the murders.

Flag by Teresa Morgolle. For this work the artist took the flag in the centre of the photograph around several sites in Mexico where people had been executed and soaked the material in the blood that was left at the scene.

London's dining trend of 2012: Brazil and Peru

The London Evening Standard's Nick Curtis claimed in Thursday's newspaper that Brazilian and Peruvian restaurants are going to be the hot new trend in the capital in 2012.

I'm very pleased to hear this, as I've found South American restaurants in general rather difficult to find.

According to his article the following restaurants will be opening soon:

Cabana in Westfields and St Giles (Brazilian)
Ceviche on Frith Street (Peruvian)
Lima London in Fitzrovia (Peruvian)
Sushi Samba (fusion of Peruvian/Brazilian and Japanese) in the City.

I will keep my eyes peeled!

Brazilian BBQ

I had a very tasty Brazilian dining experience at Rodizio Rico in Islington!

Rodizio means to rotate which is exactly what happens in this restaurant. When we arrived the waiter explained how it all works:

- You get a little beer mat sized sign that says 'Yes Please/ Sim Por Favor' on one side and 'No Thanks/Nao Obrigado' on the other (with an accent on the Nao that I'm not sure how to get on here).

- You can help yourself to a variety of hot and cold items at the buffet and then you take a seat at your table.

- When you get back to your seat you can turn your sign to 'Yes Please.' A parade of waiters circulate the restaurant and they will keep coming to your table to offer you tasty cuts of meat.

- If you don't want them to stop at your table you simply turn your label to 'No Thanks.'

Barraco Cafe

Elisa, who I met through my Couchsurfing friend Dani, organised a dinner at Barraco Cafe in Kilburn.

I went out for a coffee with a colleague before the meal so arrived a bit later than the others.  As I headed from Kilburn Park tube station I started to wonder if I'd gone the wrong way, the side street that Barraco is on seems so residential that I almost turned back to try another direction.  But suddenly there it was.

Having eaten out a lot recently I decided just to have a main course but one of the guys, Dave, decided to try several starters and was very generous and encouraged us all to help ourselves.

 Mandioca Frita (fried yams)

Calabreza Acebolada (grilled Brazilian sausages with onions)

For my main course I tried to be healthy so chose Peito de Frango with feijao and salada (grilled chicken breast with beans and salad).  The main course was hearty but I preferred the starters so it was great that Dave let us eat his!

The restaurant is quite quirky and I loved the decorations. The tables were quite close together but it meant that the evening was more friendly - a family were sat at the table next to us and their little girl was trying to feed chips to her soft toy.  Once the family left a couple came to sit next to us and I realised I knew the guy from Club Espeng language exchange.  London can be a small city sometimes...

The toilets

Products for sale

I really enjoy meals where everyone takes their time to chat and get to know each other whilst enjoying the food.  Hopefully there will be more of these during my blog travels.

Brazil! Brazil!

This was a brilliant fun show of Brazilian dance, music, capoeira and even football skills that was part of the Udderbelly Festival on the Southbank last year.  I can't believe I've only just remembered about it.  This blog will actually help me by reminding me of things that I have done.

Their website: www.brazilbraziltheshow.com

I didn't take this photo, and I don't own the copyright for it.  I am happy to take it down if the rights owner contacts me, but the dude in the yellow shirt risks landing on his head if I move it about too much...

Brazilian shops

I hadn't realised that there's a Brazilian community around Kensal Green but these shops gave me a clue.

The first one had a cafe bar counter where you could (presumably) buy coffees.  The second shop appeared to have a cafe/restaurant at the back.  As I can't resist trying out new things I bought myself some Cocada which is a traditional Brazilian sweet made from coconut and from the taste of them a whole lot of sugar. It was quite hard to stop eating them once I'd started. :-)

Sun Bailante

Countries: Caribbean, Africa, Latin America, Brazil
Cost: varies
Location: check individual event information.

Sun Bailante is a tropical music events group in London that have regular nights in venues around the city.  So far I have been to Sun Bailante events in Islington, Gloucester Road and Moorgate.  The music is brilliant, perfect to chase away the cold on a winter's evening.

Check out the site: www.sunbailante.com where you can listen to the some of the different types of music played at their nights.

Brazilian Clubs

Country: Brazil
Cost: depends on the evening you go
Location: Holborn (Guanabara) Old Street (Favela Chic)

No photos from these but I'm sure I'll be back at some point and will write more when I do.

1) Guanabara
www.guanabara.co.uk
Have lots of different events/themes, for example Zumba classes on Tuesdays. I've been twice, once for a free Samba class (I was pretty terrible) and once for Brazilian guy's birthday.  Check the website, but I think it's generally free entry before 9pm.

2) Favela Chic
www.favelachic.com/london
Only been here once, but I really like the venue, not at all like an identikit West End place. I think it's generally about £5 before 11pm but it does depend on individual events