Caroline Martins has announced the launch of her second Manchester restaurant, BRASA, and this time she’s trading the intimacy of the chef’s table for smoke, flame and a far more laid-back setting at Freight Island.
After the huge success of SAMPA, her twelve-seat tasting counter that routinely sells out months ahead, BRASA offers a different way to experience her Brazilian cooking, one rooted in churrasco traditions and built around the energy and generosity of the grill. Where SAMPA is precise and progressive, BRASA leans into bold flavours, open fire and generous à la carte plates designed for sharing.
The menu opens with barbecued flatbreads including pão de alho, alongside Brazil’s much-loved pão de queijo served warm with caramelised onion butter, while crisp salgadinhos filled with chicken, beef and cheese arrive with smoked chilli mayo for dipping. A charcuterie plate layered with lomo, fennel salami, spianata romana and house pickles adds a subtle European thread before the spotlight shifts firmly to prime cuts cooked over flame.
At the heart of the offering are substantial steaks and sharing platters, from a signature BRASA steak frites featuring barbecued picanha rump with annatto-seasoned julienne fries and Caroline’s requeijão peppercorn sauce, to linguiça na chapa with pork sausage and onions served family-style with Brazilian condiments. Larger cuts include a 450g ribeye, a 650g T-bone and a 900g bone-in prime rib designed for the centre of the table, while sides range from hand-cut skin-on fries dusted in annatto to feijão preto enriched with garlic and bacon, plus a bright heart of palm salad with cherry tomatoes, black olives and red onion.
Caroline’s journey to this point has been anything but conventional, having grown up in São Paulo before pursuing a career in science that saw her complete a PhD and work in academia in Texas as a plasma physicist, only later pivoting to professional cookery with training at Le Cordon Bleu in London. Further experience in Italy and respected London kitchens followed before her move north, where pop-ups and an appearance on Great British Menu paved the way for the opening of SAMPA in 2024.
BRASA marks the next chapter, bringing her Brazilian roots to a bigger stage in a format that feels lively, generous and built for long, flame-fuelled dinners with friends. Reservations are now open.