Go Brazil nuts: carnivals, Brazilian street food and festivals in London

Londoners are about to spend £500 million on chocolate balls, giant screens and carnivorous carnivals. Joshi Herrmann scores big
Keepy-uppy: A third of us are planning to spend between £100 and £300 on food, drink, and upgrading our entertainment systems, according to one survey
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Joshi Herrmann6 June 2014

Despite it taking place 6,000 miles away, London is gearing up for the World Cup as if we were hosting it. What we spent on sports venues in the great summer of 2012 we are now preparing to shell out on beer fridges, 4K Ultra HD TVs, and warm caipirinhas — inexpertly prepared by the barman at your newly exotic local boozer.

A third of us are planning to spend between £100 and £300 on food, drink, and upgrading our entertainment systems, according to a survey by Peer 1 Hosting — which could leave London’s World Cup spend at more than £500 million. And we’re also expected to shell out at least that number again on futile bets on how many corners Côte d’Ivoire might get against Japan.

As World Cup partying goes, London has the advantage over most cities of strongly supporting more or less every team in the draw. The days between England’s group fixtures — and after their cruel elimination — will be filled by swarms of Nigerians Galala dancing through “Little Lagos” (Peckham) before their opening game against Iran. London has about 114,000 Nigerians, 37,000 Iranians, 66,000 Frenchmen, 62,000 Ghanaians, 53,000 Aussies, 41,000 Portuguese, 35,000 Spaniards and — in total — 50 non-indigenous communities with a population over 10,000. London’s World Cup party should be the biggest, most colourful sporting mash-up outside of Rio.

Committed footy-types have already begun working out how many matches can be enjoyed without interruption. During the group stages (June 12-26) most days have three matches, typically kicking off at 5pm, 8/9pm and 11pm, with more of the late kick-offs in the first couple of weeks. Those times make for solid World Cup viewing evenings, but the 5pm kick-offs raise a tricky point of office politics for the many Londoners who don’t finish work until six or later. For nine-to-fivers, the daily format is obvious: first match at the work local, second one either in the park (this is the “mobile World Cup”) or at a restaurant that has installed big screens, and the final kick-off in the living room.

London’s businesses are tying themselves in knots to be the most World Cuppy place around. Soho restaurant Herman Ze German will be serving wursts and beer steins in the shadow of its newly acquired big screen. LA street food specialist Kome is “creating unique dishes that match up with one of the teams playing that day”. And, best — nay, most sexist — of all, Benefit Cosmetics is opening “a beautiful pop-up pub for women” in Covent Garden, where “highly trained ‘Bene-babe’ beauty artists will be on hand offering complimentary brow waxes, skin care sessions and make-uppers”.

A spokesman for pub-finding app MatchPint says 85 per cent of pubs and bars will be showing the World Cup, including gastro pubs, until-now chic bars and Kelly Brook’s City drinking hole Steam and Rye. With an eye on England’s likely failure, publicans have apparently set up loyalty programmes to incentivise punters to keep drinking — 100 pubs on MatchPint are taking part in a “come to five games and get a free beer at the sixth”-type schemes.

If, however, England succeed, the bookmakers will go out of business, millions will take to the streets celebrating, and Herman Ze German, Cocobananas and Little Lagos will be forced to order in Carling like it’s 1966.

Score a date

We all know there will be action on the pitch, but London’s going to be charged on a cocktail of euphoria, hysteria, despair and — obviously — pints: an opportune moment to score off the pitch too. With no offence intended to the homegrown talent, it’s the best time to meet a South American: London’s hottest Brazilians will be out to celebrate their country’s moment. Here’s where to find one.

Floripa

Shoreditch’s Brazilian consulate is screening every England and Brazil game (as well as many other matches) — although you’ll struggle to keep your eye on the ball when the samba dancers take to the floor.

91-93 Great Eastern Street, EC2, floripalondon.com

The Vaults

The Vaults is throwing its own Brazilian carnival: remember, what happens in fancy dress stays in fancy dress.

Leake Street, SE1, the-vaults.org

Sushisamba

You’ll have to do more than just snog a Brazilian to score a spot at SUSHISAMBA’s exclusive World Cup party, but cocktails and big screens mean it’s worth keeping your eyes on the Jules Rimet.

Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2, sushisamba.com

Guanabara

Guanabara is screening all the Brazil games on six large screens and two 60-inch LED giant television screens — alongside samba dancers, capoeira performers and football freestylers.

New London Theatre, Parker Street, WC2, guanabara.co.uk

Cocobananas

Battersea outpost Cocobananas offers an unlimited buffet and beach punch for £25 and caipirinihas for £7. Get sloshed and go for the snog.

101 Howie Street, SW11, cocobananas-london.com

Phoebe Luckhurst

Eat soccer snacks

Do you know your bacalhau from your feijoada and have you ever tried a brigadeiro? A long foray into Brazil’s vast array of food and drink starts here.

Breakfast

Ditch the muesli for The Good Life Eatery’s acai breakfast bowl: granola, raw Brazilian acai, Brazil nuts, fresh fruit and bee pollen.

£7.20, 59 Sloane Avenue, SW3; goodlifeeatery.com

Street food

Kome takes over the kitchen at the Star of Kings pub, creating themed dishes for each match. When Brazil play, take a screen break for beach food.

126 York Way, N1; starofkings.co.uk

Dinner dance

Eat five courses at the Disappearing Dining Club’s Brazilian dinner party, (try salt-grilled picanha of beef, red rice and black beans) then dance it off next door.

Dessert

Eat Brazilian puds at new Portuguese restaurant Canela in Covent Garden. Try quindim — coconut and lemon custard pudding. Get a real sugar high at Sushisamba from brigadeiros (chocolate balls) with a view of the City.

Canela, 33 Earlham Street, WC2; canelacafe.com / Sushisamba, Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, EC2; sushisamba.com

Brazil X France

For the cup this French bistro will become Brazilian pop-up, Sim Senhora. Expect live football and Brazilian-French bar food.

June 12-July 9, 82 Stoke Newington Road, N16, oui-madame.co.uk

All-in-one

Boteco Brasil is a gigantic Brazilian party in Soho by food designer Simone Mattar, who will host cooking and cocktail classes and capoeira and samba demonstrations.

£40-£60, billetto.co.uk

Cooking class

Swot up on Brazilian cuisine at a World Cup cooking lesson at the new Jenius Social. Make bacalhau (Brazilian fishcakes) and churros.

£60, July 10, 6 Hornsey Street, N7, jeniussocial.co.uk

Victoria Stewart

Have a carniball

The World Cup coincides with London festival season, so the footy festi after-party will sweep the capital. Here’s how.

Saturday June 14

Festival: Found, Haggerston Park

Pub: The Albion, Goldsmith’s Row – they’ve just installed one of the first 4K Ultra HD screens.

Footy: 8pm, Uruguay v Costa Rica. 11pm, Engand v Italy.

Saturday June 21

Festival: Festifeel, London Fields Brewery

Pub: Pub on the Park, London Fields — screens inside and out.

Footy: 8pm Germany v Ghana, 11pm Bosnia-Hercegovina vs Nigeria.

Saturday June 28/Sunday 29

Festival: Calling Festival, Clapham Common

Pub: Alexandra, Clapham Common — two projectors, five large HD screens, 500+ capacity.

Footy: If England qualify from the group stage for the last 16 game, they will be playing at 9pm on the Saturday or Sunday.

Friday July 4/Saturday 5

Festival: Wireless, Finsbury Park

Pub: 12 pins, Seven Sisters Road — Arsenal stronghold usually, England fanzone from now.

Footy: The later quarter-finals are at 9pm on Friday and Saturday.

Saturday July 12/Sunday 13

Festival: BST (Neil Young, Tom Jones), Hyde Park

Pub: Leinster Arms, 7 Leinster Terrace — good food, plenty of screens.

Footy: third place play off at 9pm on Saturday, final on Sunday at 8pm.

Joshi Herrmann

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