IN LESS than five years since it started, Espirito Santo has made quite a name as a gourmet butcher, with branches in Great World City and Parkway Parade.

Besides selling raw meats and sausages, it has also been offering cooked items such as pork roulade or roast beef for takeaway. So it seems a natural progression that it would go the whole hog and offer dine-in as well.

That's what owner Fabiane Mendes Braga, a Brazilian, did in January when she carved out half the space of the butchery in the Parkway Parade basement for a bistro, also called Espirito Santo.

It's a modest set-up with plain white furniture laid out in straight rows in a long, narrow space, and separated from the butchery by only a low wall.

Given the bistro's origins, it's no surprise that the menu focuses on meats, with the bulk of it devoted to beef steaks of various cuts and grades, as well as pork items and sausages.

But there is also a selection of traditional Brazilian dishes, a nod to Ms Braga's heritage.

It's not fine-dining but if you want a decent meal at a reasonable price, you can do worse than here.

Starters are mostly under $20 and non-beef main courses are below $30. And an Australian T-bone steak at $48 for 600g is pretty decent.

I had taken home a very nice pork roulade from the butchery last year so my eye was immediately drawn to the dish when I visited the bistro for lunch last month.

Stuffed with Brazilian linguica, a kind of sausage, and herbs, the roulade ($18) this time was decent. However, it was not as moist as the one I ate at home.

I was more pleased with the sausage platter ($13.50), which was a trio of bratwurst, oxford and linguica served with sauerkraut.

The bratwurst, a fat German sausage, was common enough but both the oxford - an English skinless sausage made with pork and veal - and the linguica were new to me.

MEAT MARKET: Fabiane Mendes Braga serving up the pork belly and Cobb salad (above) at her Espirito Santo Bistro.

Both were skinny and lean and, as a result, a bit chewy. But they were also very tasty, and great for brunch.

Back for dinner last week, I was drawn to another pork dish - this time, the crackling skin pork belly ($16).

This was like a Western version of the Cantonese roast pork, especially since it arrived at the table chopped into bite-sized pieces just like the Chinese serve it. The skin was nice and crisp, and the meat, while not melt-in-the-mouth tender, was juicy.

It was a pity though that the mashed potatoes that came with it were rather pedestrian, tasting much like what you get from an instant packet.

If you feel guilty about eating all that fatty pork, you could order a salad to go with it, although the Cobb salad ($16) was not totally guilt-free. It came with pieces of grilled chicken, ham, bacon, cheese and egg. But there were plenty of greens, and the dressing of honey mustard and lemon juice was light enough.

If you are thinking of checking out the Brazilian specialities, order the Bahian spicy crab soup ($12).

Flakes of crabmeat came swimming in a light cream spicy soup that reminded me very much of a mild and milky laksa.

Two other Brazilian items I tried were just as easy on the palate.

The coxinha ($8), comprising three crispy chicken croquettes on a bed of salad greens, would please those who like deep-fried food. The taste, however, seemed rather indefinable to me.

The fish stew or moqueca de piexe ($29) had a stronger character with a blend of spices and herbs giving kick to the tomato-based sauce. There was a hint of coconut milk as well.

Service here was less than sterling, though. My soup came without a spoon, for example, and water glasses were not always topped up. But since the bistro was such a small place, it was easy enough to catch someone's attention if you needed something.

And with those friendly prices, I can live with the minor irritations.

ESPIRITO SANTO BISTRO
Parkway Parade B1-83B, 80 Marine Parade Road,
Tel: 6440-8867

Open: 11am to 9pm daily
Food: ***
Service: ** 1/2
Ambience: ** 1/2
Price: Budget from about $40 per person for a three-course meal, more if you order a steak

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Mar 23, 2008.

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