Can June entertain in May?
Pros Good service and reliable food.
Cons Mr Oomph is on the Most Wanted list.
Pay
€€€€
Per Person €37. Starter, main, shared dessert, bottle of ribera.
El tenedor discount may be available.
Gratis: Olives to nibble.
Find
Buteco is closed. Trattoria Popolare is now open in the same location.
Access Several steps down from the street to semi-basement.
In Short
Hopes? A touch, if you will, of the Brazilian.
Reality? Well. It's fine. Really. Not bad. But where's the
?
First Impressions? It's sepia coloured. Like being stood beneath an amber moon.
A USP? A Brazil in Triball?
The food in three words? Notta lotta love.
Can they get the staff? Various waiters, nothing got lost.
Service with a smile? It's efficient enough.
Friend friendly? Range of diets catered for.
Rating for dating? Decor, lighting and menu probably suit suitors.
Tip? 5%
Change one thing? Samba, not somnambulism.
Going back? Not sure if Return I will, to this Brazil,
Compare & Contrast
Churrasco and startlingly good cocktails at Los Espitinhos
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
Buteco offers a burst of Brazilian, but sorely in need of Portuguese passion.
You know Rio?
Now don't be silly. We mean the real Rio. Think football.
Well, yes, ok. Technically correct. But, look. Come on, now.
Rio!
Right. Exactly. Beaches. Carnival. Bloke with metal teeth chasing James Bond up a cable car.
Blimey it sounds exciting, does it not? A bit of that in Madrid for dinner would do no harm. Would make for a lively evening, if the energy rubbed off on the food, too. Now, we're not going to give Buteco a pasting. It's doing OK food-wise in a lot of ways. But, expectations, prepare for hefty management. This is less 007, more oh, oh ok, then.
Starters Coxinha, ceviche.
Good start, starters. An excellent chicken croquette with a home-made feeling, creamy, could-be-a-bit-spicier sauce. Well priced, one makes a small starter - for one. Corvina ceviche was the dish of the day, easily. Fruit and fish feel a little unlikely as a combination, but worked well here. The broth was terrific, with some fresh chilli adding a good spicy touch. This is a decent sharing starter, not least as it's priced as a main course in its own right.
Mains Feijoada, picanha plancha
A pair of comfort food main courses. The feijoada was a let down. A decent portion, it needed details, flavour and, simply, chef love. Where was the orange? This, I admit, riled me. It felt like they didn't expect customers to know much about what they're ordering. Two words; Google images. This dish just doesn't get there, flavour-wise, at least compared to my last feijoada, which was in Belgium, for goodness sake. And, that felt a lot nearer the Copacabana than this did. I should be raving about it and booking a return visit, but I'm going looking for a better version somewhere else. It's not a failure, but not a winner. It's still an opportunity.
Steak/picanha was more on the money. Simple, of course, but cooked al punto/rare. very nicely. The chimichurri style thingy was very welcome (and there was a good whack of it, which is well done). Three chunks of yucca were a nice texture change, too. Good. Undramatic and safe, but this entirely met expecations.
But, but, but. Buteco is summed up by our side order. Chips. They were plentiful. They were chunky and obviously freshly cut. They came with some decent sea salt. So, doing well, so far.
They came on a slate. OK, sign of the times, but that's life, so we're not going to slate the plate.
But. They weren't quite cooked. So, al dente potatoes? And sauce? Something from South America to brighten up a plate of spuds? Just to make about them feel cared about, even a tad?
No, no, and no.
Wait a sec, lost one.
...no.
There it is.
Dessert Pastel de Belem
A very soft and surely handmade custard tart with an almost fluffy filling. The choc-sauced vanilla icecream was a bit odd as an accompaniment, but as a pastel de nata is hardly an entire dessert on its own, it made a wise addition. Points awarded as it could easily have been a nata plasticificada madrileña splodgetón. But I think I'd rather have had two pasteles. Maybe one with, say, a different flavoured custard. Chocolate? Dulce de leche? Custardo? It's doable.
Service was efficient, if lacking warmth, and we didn't have to wait for any course to arrive, which is confdence-building. The spaces are big enough to not be forced into overhearing neighbouring conversations. There's exposed brick and architectural gubbins in the walls. It's a fairly peaceful and relaxed atmosphere for Madrid, even with a largish group in another corner. A Mahou arrived suitably chilled. Wine was left for us to pour for ourselves.
So Buteco won us over in many ways, and we'd like to want to go back. But we're looking for better, before we look for a return visit.
Who knows?
Pros Good service and reliable food.
Cons Mr Oomph is on the Most Wanted list.
Pay
€€€€
Per Person €37. Starter, main, shared dessert, bottle of ribera.
El tenedor discount may be available.
Gratis: Olives to nibble.
Find
Buteco is closed. Trattoria Popolare is now open in the same location.
Access Several steps down from the street to semi-basement.
In Short
Hopes? A touch, if you will, of the Brazilian.
Reality? Well. It's fine. Really. Not bad. But where's the
?
First Impressions? It's sepia coloured. Like being stood beneath an amber moon.
A USP? A Brazil in Triball?
The food in three words? Notta lotta love.
Can they get the staff? Various waiters, nothing got lost.
Service with a smile? It's efficient enough.
Friend friendly? Range of diets catered for.
Rating for dating? Decor, lighting and menu probably suit suitors.
Tip? 5%
Change one thing? Samba, not somnambulism.
Going back? Not sure if Return I will, to this Brazil,
Compare & Contrast
Churrasco and startlingly good cocktails at Los Espitinhos
In Pictures
On Google Images
What's the story?
Buteco offers a burst of Brazilian, but sorely in need of Portuguese passion.
You know Rio?
Now don't be silly. We mean the real Rio. Think football.
Well, yes, ok. Technically correct. But, look. Come on, now.
Rio!
Right. Exactly. Beaches. Carnival. Bloke with metal teeth chasing James Bond up a cable car.
Blimey it sounds exciting, does it not? A bit of that in Madrid for dinner would do no harm. Would make for a lively evening, if the energy rubbed off on the food, too. Now, we're not going to give Buteco a pasting. It's doing OK food-wise in a lot of ways. But, expectations, prepare for hefty management. This is less 007, more oh, oh ok, then.
Starters Coxinha, ceviche.
Good start, starters. An excellent chicken croquette with a home-made feeling, creamy, could-be-a-bit-spicier sauce. Well priced, one makes a small starter - for one. Corvina ceviche was the dish of the day, easily. Fruit and fish feel a little unlikely as a combination, but worked well here. The broth was terrific, with some fresh chilli adding a good spicy touch. This is a decent sharing starter, not least as it's priced as a main course in its own right.
Mains Feijoada, picanha plancha
A pair of comfort food main courses. The feijoada was a let down. A decent portion, it needed details, flavour and, simply, chef love. Where was the orange? This, I admit, riled me. It felt like they didn't expect customers to know much about what they're ordering. Two words; Google images. This dish just doesn't get there, flavour-wise, at least compared to my last feijoada, which was in Belgium, for goodness sake. And, that felt a lot nearer the Copacabana than this did. I should be raving about it and booking a return visit, but I'm going looking for a better version somewhere else. It's not a failure, but not a winner. It's still an opportunity.
Steak/picanha was more on the money. Simple, of course, but cooked al punto/rare. very nicely. The chimichurri style thingy was very welcome (and there was a good whack of it, which is well done). Three chunks of yucca were a nice texture change, too. Good. Undramatic and safe, but this entirely met expecations.
But, but, but. Buteco is summed up by our side order. Chips. They were plentiful. They were chunky and obviously freshly cut. They came with some decent sea salt. So, doing well, so far.
They came on a slate. OK, sign of the times, but that's life, so we're not going to slate the plate.
But. They weren't quite cooked. So, al dente potatoes? And sauce? Something from South America to brighten up a plate of spuds? Just to make about them feel cared about, even a tad?
No, no, and no.
Wait a sec, lost one.
...no.
There it is.
Dessert Pastel de Belem
A very soft and surely handmade custard tart with an almost fluffy filling. The choc-sauced vanilla icecream was a bit odd as an accompaniment, but as a pastel de nata is hardly an entire dessert on its own, it made a wise addition. Points awarded as it could easily have been a nata plasticificada madrileña splodgetón. But I think I'd rather have had two pasteles. Maybe one with, say, a different flavoured custard. Chocolate? Dulce de leche? Custardo? It's doable.
Service was efficient, if lacking warmth, and we didn't have to wait for any course to arrive, which is confdence-building. The spaces are big enough to not be forced into overhearing neighbouring conversations. There's exposed brick and architectural gubbins in the walls. It's a fairly peaceful and relaxed atmosphere for Madrid, even with a largish group in another corner. A Mahou arrived suitably chilled. Wine was left for us to pour for ourselves.
So Buteco won us over in many ways, and we'd like to want to go back. But we're looking for better, before we look for a return visit.
Who knows?