El Santo Bar & Restaurant in Glasgow’s Merchant City has launched a new summer menu, with Brazilian Head Chef, Juliana Kipper, digging deep into her family heritage cookbook to create yet more authentic South American dishes, with a modern twist.
With the FIFA World Cup fast approaching, at which Scotland will play Brazil in Miami on 24th June, Juliana is confident that there will be even more interest than normal in the vibrant and flavoursome cuisine of her homeland. She was recently invited to Hampden Stadium to witness the launch of the official national tartan of Brazil, named “The Spirit of Brazil,” and is currently advising on a new culinary challenge which will see students use Scottish produce to create Brazilian-inspired street food.
“We are thrilled at El Santo to launch this new menu, which once again provides a delicious culinary journey though South America, enhanced with incredible Scottish produce. I love to showcase the food of my homeland, and witness firsthand the pleasure that diners have when they experience it!” said Juliana.
“This new menu, which coincides with a refresh of our wide ranging drinks menu at El Santo, will take us through the summer, a highlight of which, of course, will be Scotland vs. Brazil at the FIFA World Cup in June. We are hoping to have a both a special dish, and a signature curated cocktail, on offer on the 24th June, as an additional celebration of this match.”
“El Santo has been open in the Merchant City for three years now, with our both our cuisine, and our concept, wholeheartedly embraced by Glaswegians in this time. We love a party, and so do they! Not only is our food colourful and full of spice, but we have regular Fiesta Nights with traditional Samba dancers strutting their stuff and entertaining everyone. It’s the perfect complement, as you savour every bite of the culinary journey that’s waiting for you here in our Bar & Restaurant.”
With meat and fish dishes cooked on a traditional Parilla Charcoal Grill, highlights of the new menu at El Santo include Peruvian Chicken Anticuchio, chicken thigh meat with Latin spices, charred peppers, onion, and farofa on the side. A Peruvian pork stir fry dish features peppers, onion, soy sauce, ginger, chilli and coriander, whilst the charcoal grilled sea bream has pickled fennel and a decadent Mezcal infused coriander bisque. Steaks include the classic Brazilian cut of Picanha, with a Châteaubriand designed for sharing, and a butcher’s selection featuring the prime cuts of the day.
Small plates cover taste explosions such as Pastel de Camarao, delicate golden Brazilian pastries filled with Atlantic shrimps and a citric aioli. The Heirloom Watermelon Tiradito sees compressed watermelon combined with citrus ponzu, velvet cashew cream and toasted sesame. Lovers of Tostados can enjoy sashimi grade yellow tuna with Salsa Negra, fermented kimchi emulsion, and whipped avocado.
A popular choice for those with a sweet tooth is Juliana’s trio of desserts, featuring Brazilian Flan, chocolate truffles and mini churros stuffed with caramel.
New on the drinks menu are unique cocktails, such as the Yuzu Gimlet, with Shipyard Gin, Chartreuse & Lime, the Banoffee Pie, with discarded bananas, banana liqueur, Pedro Ximenez, Toffee & Cream, (a dessert in a glass), and the Tropic Like It’s Hot, a mix of Tapatio, Passoa, Passionfruit, & Chartreuse, topped with Vanilla Prosecco foam.
Juliana finished by saying how much she had enjoyed her recent day at Hampden Stadium.
“It was an honour for me to meet the Brazilian Consulate at Hampden, as the new Brazilian Tartan, designed by six year old Indie Menzies from Largs Primary School, was unveiled,” she said.
“Charles Miller, the Scottish-Brazilian who introduced football to Brazil in the early 20th Century, is a distant relative of Indie’s. He, and the new tartan, were “toasted” with both whisky and cachaça, Brazil’s national spirit, which is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented, fresh sugarcane juice. Guests also enjoyed a tour of the Scottish Football Museum, and the stadium itself. It was quite a day!”
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Along with her role in the Brazilian Street Food Challenge, which may see the winning dishes prepared in Miami for an official event just before the Brazil vs. Scotland World Cup match, Juliana is additionally advising the Honorary Consul for Brazil on the official World Cup fan zone at Arta, in Glasgow, with a view to featuring the winning fusion items there.
“It’s going to be a very busy time between now and June,” said Juliana. “As ever, I am committed to doing Brazilian cuisine proud!”
Further details on El Santo at: https://elsanto.co.uk/
