Savory little Brazilian breaks

Just round the corner from my flat is a little place called Coffee Café. No, not a very original name, but the owner’s intent is well conveyed. However, in my opinion a better name might be Coxinha Kitchen.

As the green and yellow colour scheme of the café’s signage connotes, Coffee Café is Brazilian owned and run. In addition to a good cup o’ joe and your run-of-the-mill sandwiches and other lunch items, the two incredibly friendly Brasileiras that work behind the counter and in the kitchen serve a variety of homemade pastelzinhos. Among these treats is one tempting morsel that deserves at least a few sentences about it: the coxinha.

Coxinha is Portuguese for “little thigh” and refers to a spicy ball of minced chicken meat, in the shape of a chicken leg, that’s deep-fried in a wheat flour batter. Sound good? Well, it tastes even better, and just knowing that these yummies are fresh and available and virtually right outside my building’s door is awfully tempting.

Coffee Café is located on Compton Street between St John Street and Goswell Road.