Review : Nabrasa, Uxbridge

As far as inconspicuous restaurants go, the Nabrasa I visited on a mild September evening was certainly doing its best to remain unknown. But seen as hidden treasures are what I am after, it was the right place to start. They say a good restaurant gives you a taste of a cuisine but a great restaurant immerses you completely in that cuisine. Nabrasa my fellow foodies is located conveniently next to Uxbridge station and takes you straight to South America without you even having to leave zone six on the underground.

A little less discreet aspect of this hot little find is its name – translating to grilled or BBQ, it gets right to the crux of the matter. Alongside Nabrasa’s motto of “always serve meat blue” something tells me it is truly the ‘joint’ for all good meat lovers. However, vegetarians fret not, despite the large selection of mind tripping meat it has to offer, there are tempting vegetarian options too. For £12.50 you can go all out on their vegetarian buffet (which has meat options too – I think it is a Brazilian thing!) and still have change in your kitty for a refreshing drink. If you are a football fan try the iguana (official sponsor of the World Cup) or for those more health conscious, I would suggest the acai and guarana drink which acts as a nice accompaniment to your meal as well as some much sought after vitamin C.

#The turkey parcels deserve a second #Cheesebread is to die for #Mint Mayo is ingenuous

The dinner menu is simplistic and offers three options. This is great for those of you who like me are annoyingly indecisive and could quite easily spend half an evening just trying to figure out what to eat – only to change your mind again. The great thing about a buffet is that you can have a little bit of everything. With over 25 distinctively different mouthwatering dishes to choose from and with a selection of 15 meats – Nabrasa pulls out all the stops! There are even a wide variety of gluten free options- so something for everyone.
If you are wise you will opt for the ‘vegetarian buffet’ and may still have room for dessert. But for those of you meat lovers, leaving without trying the chicken okra would be a wasted trip. For me, it was the freshly baked cheese rolls which stole the show. Absolutely divine, these rolls brought a new definition to the term freshly baked as it was as if they were continuing to bake in my mouth, but do not take my word for it. The proof is in the pudding. If chicken okra and cheese rolls do not do it for you, for an additional £7.50 you can upgrade to Prime Rodizo style.
The Rodizo is what Nabrasa takes great pride in and for all you meat lovers this is where a true taste of Brazil begins. With a selection of over fifteen flavoursome, tender and succulent meats, presented to you by friendly staff, at Nabrasa they demonstrate the true meaning of good customer service, in the spirit of Rrodizo style dining. Whatever it is that tickles your fancy whether it’s chicken, beef, turkey or lamb Nabrasa grill your meat to succulent perfection and serve it to your table straight from the grill.

There were an impressive array of meats brought to the table. I would like to say I tried them all but did not quite make the chicken heart- that’s one delicacy for the brave! As a nutritionist you often get judged for what you eat or do not eat. I consider it as an occupational hazard. Luckily in this instance I did not quite make it to the finger pointing dessert. Talking from a health perspective, the Brazilian diet offers countless benefits. Primarily, this diet is a fantastic source of protein and iron offering you a great diversity of protein which ranges from liver to chicken heart.

Nabrasa will offer you a meal low on simple carbohydrates and high in complex carbohydrates with options such as banana fritters, sautéed potatoes and pasta. Potatoes often get bad press but are not actually bad. It is what you do to them that make them a calorific catastrophe. When cooked correctly and eaten with the skin they are a great addition to a healthy diet. Potatoes supply us with a great source of potassium, iron and B vitamins as well as containing a significant amount of vitamin C. In fact, just over half of vitamin C consumption in the UK roots from this humble vegetable. Another great source of potassium and B vitamins is the banana which is also rich in iron and zinc. In addition, bananas contain a soluble fibre called pectin which aids the elimination of harmful toxins from the body. In regions such as South America bananas act as a main energy source as opposed to potatoes. Nabrasa offers a good option for those who are weight conscious, those who need to control their blood sugar, as well as those of us who suffer from anaemia – many of us from the female species do.

What I really loved about this place was the focus on fruit. We all have our favourites. I adore the more exotic fruits such as pineapples. Nabrasa seems to share my passion. As well as cleansing your palate, pineapples include a special enzyme, bromelain. Bromelain aids the digestion of proteins in meat – helping you process that hearty meal that little bit faster and freeing you from that post-chomping bloated feeling. Pineapples are also a great source of dietary fibre and manganese, with one 165g serving of pineapple containing just over 76% of your recommended daily amount.
Interestingly, the enzyme in pineapples is also active in the human body – it helps disperse blood clots and attacks bacteria that cause urinary infections. For those of us engaging in strenuous physical activity, pineapples can help stimulate the body`s repair system. Brazilians like to season their pineapple with cinnamon, which is not only an immense hot chocolate topping or a compliment to traditional ‘chai’ for its natural warming properties but also works as a blood glucose stabilizer, anti microbial and anti clotting agent. In my eyes they make the original power couple.
Nabrasa’s founder, of South Asian heritage, says that Nabrasa was created for three core reasons. “The first reason is that there aren’t enough halal steak places in the UK, secondly, I can make a steak as well as the South Americans – and finally (what sets us apart) is we’re a place that provides great quality service to large numbers of people.” Nabrasa certainly makes a lot of claims – however, I can vouch for the first two at least. The general consensus is that Uxbridge loves Nabrasa. Now we just need to know what Boris thinks.
See more about Nabrasa including reviews, contact and address information here.
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