Cabana Covent Garden

Had a bit of a weird first experience at Cabana as we went on the most quiet Friday evening ever - London was deserted because of the Olympic opening ceremony.  Without the crowds the place just doesn't work.  All you get is a modern office block with some restaurants on ground level.  Even though the interior designers did a good job, without the people it just looks like an office with some wooded floor boards and some funky colour thrown in.
We opted to sit outside - at least no fumes despite the close proximity to Tottenham Court Road and Centrepoint as the restaurants are located around a massive courtyard, and most of the tables are under cover.
We both opted for the oddly named "Beirut" sandwich and shared both regular and sweet potato fries.  My overall impression was that of greasiness, especially when I gave the big bottle of chilli sauce a try - just as well everything is served on big wooden boards and paper tablemats.
Places like Cabana just don't feel genuine to me, the next time I am in the area I am more likely to sample one of the cheap and cheerful Asian kitchens across the road.  Apparently some of the chefs are Brazilian, while the waiting staff were well trained in background stories about the food, etc.
Still, won't be rushing back.

We tried to find a table outside here for lunch on Friday but the place was PACKED. Didn't mind though, because the inside was really good - big posters all over the walls and kites suspended from the ceiling. The whole place was very bustl-y and the waiters were uber-friendly - greeting us when we came in and helping us with suggestions for what to eat and drink. I wasn't drinking (being Friday lunch, e-hem), so they recommended a berry "refresher" drink - nice and zingy with a hint of vanilla. My friend had a Brazilian Lemonade which she also said was really good. We started with crispy rice balls - a bit like Italian "arancini" - which were light and fluffy and not too cheesy, and also shared a salmon ceviche with coconut and lime - very fresh although could have maybe done with a little bit more citrus. Their main thing is big skewers of meat they bring to the table and you pay for what you eat - I don't eat red meat so was a little worried there wouldn't be anything for me to eat, but the spicy chicken skewer was uh-mazing, as were the prawns. My friend had the chicken with bacon and lamb, both of which she said were great. We also shared some sweet potato fries, but next time I'd be tempted to order the Cassava Fries (a Brazilian potatoey type thing) which I saw a couple of other tables having. We were absolutely stuffed but our waiter told us the frozen yogurt wasn't to be missed, and as the world's biggest fro-yo fan, how could I say no? We shared a caramel frozen yogurt with raspberry, which was pretty much The Best fro-yo I've ever had, and they told us we could get the fro-yo to take away if we wanted. I'll be back for seconds!

I visited Cabana last weekend to try out their combo’s – an addition to their mouth-watering menu. I found the food fantastic and the caipirinha’s more-ish. I’ve posted a full review with photo’s here http://foodieclaire.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/taster-event...

To start we had snacks of spiced roasted nuts (good spice level), sweetcorn pamonhas (too much coconut, so too sweet but nice to try as a dessert), crunchy rice bolinhos (good and crispy with lovely mayo), and chopped salmon ceviche (ok but not a lot of taste).

Got beautifully spiced and flavourful tiger prawns, and succulent chilli and cumin lamb. The sticky baby back ribs had a perfect spice level and were so good we were talking about them days later. However, the beef rump was very chewy, as it was served rare, but had an excellent Chimicurri sauce. Also, our sides of cassava chips, sweet potato fries and black beans were so good that we ordered a second round.

Desserts available are only sorbet, Cabana cheesecake, or frozen yoghurt in one of three types of standard flavours and one flavour of the season. The guava seasonal frozen yoghurt with the acai and doce de leite toppings was refreshing after all the food consumed. The cheesecake was good also.

We heard that the Beirut (Syrian flatbread sandwiches) are very nice, and may try these next time we visit.

Overall, pleasant service and good food and will go back.

Went to this Cabana on the first day of their opening and it was very very busy, I would strongly recommend that you book esp on Fri/ Sat. It’s based on Brasilian churrascirias where they bring skewees of meat around to your table. We had the pamonahs for starters which were so sweet they tasted like a dessert and deep fried cheesy rice balls. I would probably skip these next time and head straight for the main event, the skewers.
Because we hadn’t booked they ended up seating us in the bar which was fine but it meant that the service was a bit hit and miss as it relies on the waitress bringing the skewers round to your table and we weren’t in the bit they were circulating through. I really enjoyed most of the skewers, especially the lamb which was soft and juicy and the baby back ribs, probably my favourite of the night as they were properly spicy with a decent kick. The only one I didn’t like was the chimichurri beef rump as it was quite chewy. I would also recommend getting a side of the cassava chips as these were great.
Desserts other than fro-yo are limited but the banana and dolce du leche cheesecake I tried was brilliant. Not fridge cold and impossible to cut as cheescakes often are but dense and crumbly with delicious candied nuts on top. A winner!
I would go back to Cabana espcially now I know which of the skewers I like but I would make sure I book first!