(In Brazil, restaurants like these are called ?churrascaria,? which means they only serve grilled meat that?s sliced in front of you straight from the skewer.)

HOW much meat can you devour in one sitting? That is the challenge posed by the buffet at Brazil! Brazil!

Eating in this restaurant is fun and festive. There are no a la carte items in their menu, only buffet at over P600 per head. You may begin with soup, which is usually a chowder, then move on to the salads, where you?d have a choice of corn, tomato, and regular greens. There is also pasta, with a choice of either tomato or carbonara sauces. Then there?s fish and prawn for non-meat eaters.

But if you do not eat meat, your trip to Brazil! Brazil! would be like life without a sense of purpose. It just wouldn?t make sense. Because the fun begins when the sexy waitresses start serving the barbecued meats.

As if this were a race, the customer is given instructions. A yoyo (minus the string) is placed before you, which is green on one side, red on the other. When the barbecue festivities begin, you are to have the green side face up. The waitresses will then keep serving meat on your plate until you can?t take it anymore, at which point you are to turn the yoyo over, with the red side facing up, to signal ?Stop!? I was thinking more along the line of raising a white flag in surrender, but I guess red works too.

The experience begins with a serving of chicken, followed by pork. First in the pork line up is a beautiful pork belly which is smokey yet delightfully chewable. This is followed by spare ribs that are pinkish red and sweet, like the kind you?d find in Chinese restaurants. To break the monotony, German and Hungarian sausages are served as well. By this time, you wonder if there is any beef arriving. I was slightly disappointed when what arrived instead was still pork: pork shoulders, although this was very good, mixing both smokey and sweet flavors.

And then after much anticipation, the beef arrives: beef brisket first, which is delightfully fatty, followed by beef tenderloin. The beef buffet ends there though; these are the only beef cuts they offer. But you can have as much as you want!

The restaurant calls this process ?churrasco.? In Brazil, restaurants like these are called ?churrascaria,? which means they only serve grilled meat that?s sliced in front of you straight from the skewer.

The churrasco was supposedly established by ?gauchos? or Brazilian cowboys. Gauchos made up majority of the rural population of Brazil, herding cows on an ?estancia? or ranch.

Hunting was the main activity, which explains why the concept of the churrasco involves only meat (although towards the end of the meal at Brazil! Brazil! they also serve squid, sweetened bananas and pineapple, all also skewered).

Traditionally on the churrasco menu, aside from pork, beef and chicken, are goat, chicken hearts and linguica or Brazilian sausage. The meats are smothered in sea salt or garlic. Some Brazilian homes have built-in churrascos made of brick; you can imagine how much more flavorful that would be!

The churrasco, however, is only one small part of Brazilian cuisine. I guess we can compare it to our ?inasal,? which is a cooking style specific to Western Visayas. However, the churrasco has become internationally popular, popping up in Australia, Korea, Japan, Thailand, you name it, probably because of the attraction of experiencing something unique to Brazil. Or very possibly, because of the eat-all-you-can concept as well.

I might as well give a heads up that what is served here is not necessarily the best meat on the planet, as I imagine the Brazilians would have it. But if you are in the mood for quantity over quality, or are just looking to eat some meat till you drop, do it the gaucho way and head for Brazil! Brazil! ?

Brazil! Brazil! Power Plant Mall, Serendra. Tel. 856-0671. No reservations required. Wheelchair accessible. Major credit cards accepted. Catering accepted.