Buzios - Bananaland

Every once in a while in Brazil I wondered to myself, "why don't more people come to this amazing country."

It has everything--amazing sunshine, beautiful beaches, friendly people...all the usual tourist brochure cliches. But a major selling point has to be the Quilo restaurants. These abound in every town, resort, and city in Brazil. They operate on the weighed buffet principal but concentrate on Brazilian food.

One of the best I encountered was 'Bananaland' in Buzios. In a town that pays more attention to the gold AMEX brigade and where a pina colada can cost more then a farm workers wages, this is good value and the food is excellent.

It is situated along Rua Ribeiro Dantes, southwest of Rua de Perata. Bright orange from the outside you can hardly miss it. It is squeezed between a souvenir shop selling T-shirts of Buzios and 'Alhoanet', where you can check up on your e-mail. There is a definite code to the Quilo restaurant. First you take your plate and help yourself to the buffet. When you have loaded up it is taken to the till and weighed, a print-out shows the price. Once you have finished eating and then you must pay at the till including any drinks you have had. The expected price is generally not more then 15 reals (£4 or about US $8-9). The tables are clean and the clientele was full of families. One evening a teenage Brazilian football team wearing the famous yellow-green T-shirts came in.

The food is a mixture. Fejoida and other Brazilian specialities are on hand, as well as stroganoff, rice, fresh fruit, olives and grilled prawns. Huge rumps of prime Argentine steak are for the picking although these will send your bill soaring due to weight. These can be washed down with Brahama beers, wines or guava juice. The atmosphere inside is always bubbly. Brazilians are the most gregarious of people. As I was flying down I changed planes in Madrid. Other nationalities will cheer when their plane returns to their home city-- Brazilians will go into excited raptures when their flight is announced.