A Perfect Surprise

I love surprises for birthdays. Dinners at new places, weekends away, even just surprise visitors popping in to wish celebratory tidings - anything that isn’t expected is fun.

For my dad’s 70th we planned lots of little surprises; a trip to the dog-racing, a mini party, a trip to Escape Reality (we got locked in!) and on his actual birthday, dinner at Fazenda on George St.

It was an absolute hit. For starters, the salad bar is immense - cured meats, fresh veg, sushi, salads, sauces, rices, potatoes, continental cheeses, breads. The bonus being it’s available as soon as you enter. For anyone with kids who detest waiting (like ours), it’s ideal. And it is all delicious - you could graze from it all night - but don’t!

The main event is where Fazenda comes into its own. If you don’t know the concept, passadores circulate the restaurant with freshly prepared skewers of the most delicious cuts of meats. You control the service by a doublesided card you place on the table. Green meaning bring on the skewers; and red meaning I need a break! You simply take what you want. And as much as you want. Slice after slice of the most deliciously tender pieces of meat just keep coming! It’s a meat-lover’s dream. Beef tenderloin, rump, sirloin, spicy chorizo, chicken with bacon, scrumptious pork belly, chicken hearts - the list goes on!

You control the service by a double-sided card on the table. Green meaning bring on the skewers; and red meaning I need a break!"

The passadores slice it right at your table, and then with your own little set of tongs you just pop it on your plate. My eldest (8) LOVED the tongs! He felt so grown up and gave me a run for my money on the eating stakes (pardon the pun).

Fazenda has a terrific buzz. Friends had warned me it wasn’t child friendly but actually I disagree. My kids felt in control of what they were eating and tried things they maybe wouldn’t normally have.

The staff were brilliant with both boys and provided novelty plates, crayons, colouring-in sheets and puzzles. (They were brilliant with my dad too and stuck an obligatory candle in his dessert!)

We easily managed a fabulous two hours of chatting and eating. With our feisty 3 year old in tow - that in itself was a surprise. •