Well...I would say that it was disappointing. My family went there to celebrate my dad's birthday this year and we chose this restaurant. They have a very largh variety of meat, ranging from chicken to mutton. The mushroom soup was yummy but the side dishes were very sad...It doesn't look like a buffet to me. There wasn't desert at all!

Like the title says, this joint is not very good. Just average. I will say first that I've not had many churrascaria experiences, only two. I do like my meats though. And the meats here are just average.

Was there with two NS buddies. Very appropriate I would say for a meat lover's joint.

First impressions. I'm kinda on the fence in this area. I went to the branch at CHIJMES quite some time back and I loved the layout and that place in general. We had dined alfresco in the cool evening. The dimmed lights and very jovial Passadors moving from table to table with their knives and meats made it feel a little surreal actually. Same thing for my first churrascaria outing at Mama Lucia's at Robertson Walk.

At Vivo, things felt too commercial. Not bad still. It just did not feel special. There were tables outside the restaurant for al fresco dining but that looked pretty plain. Perhaps my impression of a churrascaria experience has been skewed by my first two experiences.

The service is fairly good. The staff were polite and the Passadors friendly. One joked with my friend when he had requested for just a small slice of meat. When we ordered wine, the waiters were prompt, attentive and able to recommend us something based on our wine-dummies' knowledge (i.e. something smooth and fruity).

Down to the food. Meat was average. Some cuts were pretty tough and some cooked with too much salt. The only thing I liked was the Beef Hump. Tender and flavourful. It was my favourite cut at CHIJMES too but I had more favourites there. :D

Incidentally, I'm not sure but I think there are fewer cuts at Vivo. Someone will need to get an official figure on this.

The salad bar was standard fare. Nothing there really caught my attention. I tried the couscous, pork trimmings with black beans and buttered kailan. Didn't feel like it was anything outstanding. Then again, the meats should be the star of the place. I guess it's fine if the salad bar doesn't have anything spectacular.

I'm no expert on wine. So I don't think I can comment on what is good and bad. We had two bottles between the three of us. And the waiter was able to recommend us wine that fit our requests i.e. smooth and fruity, not sour.

I know we should have gotten something that fit the meats, but hey, we are wine dummies.

Overall, it was a good dinner experience. Like I mentioned, my impression of a churrascaria experience may have been abnormally skewed by my first two outings. While Carnivore @ Vivo may not have given me the same thing, it wasn't bad either. Somewhere in the middle.

sharon san treated us to carnivore. A place which we've been wanting to try but been holding back coz of the price (whether you'll really eat worth the bucks..) and also coz we're not meat lovers.

So. We got our chance. to try FOC courtesy of Sharon san. Thank you!

But we walked out so super bloated and so totally grossed out with the sight of chunks of meat delivered to our plates. We couldn't really stand the sight of the guys holding the grill sticks speared with fish, chicken, ham, chicken heart, beef, lamb...eeeks.

we had to take cover. After eating, we couldn't even sit for a moment to chit chat. We just wanted to leave the place asap. The smell, the sight of meat really puts us off. All of us agreed that the meaty and salty meal caused us severe indigestion.

it's not really worth the money unless it's a bunch of guys chilling out. gals will not be able to stomach the oiliness and meat.

the cod fish is perhaps the best out of the meat i've tried.

As a meat lover, one of my guilty pleasures is doing the occasional Brazilian (not THAT Brazilian) churrascaria.

Having done almost all the churras joints in town (even the pathetic excuse for a meat joint at Katong), the only one I hadn't tried was the Carnivore at Vivo. Two previous attempts to dine there scuppered by reservations issues (we didn't make any and thought we could do the 'don't you know who I am?' They didn't. Swines.). So you could imagine how eager I was when my fellow meat buddy (you lah, Jas, don't eat beef...grrr) made reservations and just sms-ed 'Get your defibibrilator ready'.

We rocked up to the restaurant at 8 and were shown to our table. But we sensed trouble immediately coz they were entertaining 5 huge tables of Americans (some incentive trip for a group of 50). And the salad bar had a loooong queue.

We decided 'no choice' coz we were hungry and joined the queue. We were doing the typical Singaporean thing of making fun of their dumb-ass comments as the queue inched forward ('Man, I saw like roasted chickens and ducks hung up by their necks. People eat that??' Did I say 'dumbasses'?). We got to the salad bar (eventually) and being people on the wrong side of 40, we *cough* watch what we eat and piled our plates with vegetables - sauteed this and that, fried brinjals, cherry tomatoes, interesting ladies finger and get this, minced kailan (eww to look at and eww to the taste).

We were so hungry that we polised off the salad serving in like 10 minutes...and that's when the 'dumbasses bit' kicked in. Because the restaurant was busy serving the group of 50, EVERYONE else was basically meat less. Coz the freaking skewers didn't even make it past one half of teh 5 American tables.

So, we waited...and waited...and waited.

I was getting a tat annoyed. My friend, well-schooled in the art of bitchy comments, was absolutely pissed. And she let rip to the manager. (She's quite chio so the bitchiness comes with a melting smile - heheh!).

The manager promised that we'd be served asap...and again...not meat.

More bitchy comments with mega watt smile. More promises. No meat again.

Third time's a charm and we did get our meat...like almost half hour later. (That ewww minced kailan was sure looking good by then!).

And the meat...frankly, can't hold a candle to the original Brazil Churrascaria at Sixth Ave. Or even Vibe at the former Negara Hotel.

It could have been coz they were overworked that night with the 50 George Bushites...but still...

The fish was too fishy in smell. The chicken kinda bland. Only one beef out of three was acceptable. The lamb...actually it wasn't too bad and I'm NOT a lamb/mutton person. The sausages...average. The saving grace was whatever wrapped in bacon was - as usual - yummy. Salty and stuff.

The best part of the meal - the caramelised pineapples.

So nett nett...arteries got blocked on so-so meat. Haiz.

My friend said that they used to have a chocolate fondue previously for dessert but had obviously wised up and removed it.

So we had to adjourn elsewhere for mint tea and whatnot.

As a meat lover, I left the joint very disappointed.

I didn't appreciate the hurried atmosphere of Vibe at the former Negara Hotel BUT the meat was gooood.

Here the Americans ruined the mood...and the meat was just about better than the pathetic Katong joint.

So sad. Salads for the next week. Mannnn.....

Since my 1st visit last year, I have been wanting to make a 2nd visit but the pocrastinator in me didnt allow it..

so finally my bf n i both thought we'd give it a visit since we were watching a movie at vivo.

we came for the happy hour buffet which was at 33 per person.
it was pretty empty when we arrived so we got most of the food just after it came out of the kitchen.

first of course was the salad bar. i attacked the cauliflower fondue wich was cauliflower covered witha cream cheese like sauce and baked. the pasta salad which was reallu good. not too salty. the potato poppers or sumthin like that.which was just well fried potatoes but my favourite. taboulleh which i remembered was better the first time i came. the butter kailan, nice at first but too buttery abit later and the baked aubergine just to be adventurous. after tasting it i decided not to be adventurous. but for aubergine fans it it nice.

then the meats came..1st was my chicken thigh, nicely done and very juicy and flavourful..but a bit too flavourful though, slightly on the salty side to me. fish came 2nd, bf said it was salmon, i call it fish, well cooked and slightly flaky but not till i couldnt pick it up with my fork, tasty. next up, beef, after two slices i gave it to my bf..well done and quite hard(im not a beef gal), then lamb, it was so nice, not too salty, cooked just right, i was in heaven, some other things came but my fave beef was the cornef beef like one and the part with the fats. not sure of the name. loved the garlic bread. and the complimentary bread like thingy they gave at first.

Two of the men carrying the meat were particularly my favourites as they took notice when i declined the pork and made it a point to not come to my table when they were serving the pork items. and they were really nice n friendly too(bf dont need to worry i wnt b leaving u for them..unless they were orlando bloom). Plates were cleared almost immediately when they saw we were done although one poor waitress almost took away my drink till she realised i wasnt done.

liked that they even accomodated my request to be seated near the windows. service was good, kinda liked the ambiance. chocolate fondue was nice but too full to eat.

i doubt ill be returning anytime soon. Maybe next year but it is true. come here and eat loadsa meat. after that maybe can lay off awhile.