Bar Beleza

Bar review - Dec/Jan 09

Kim Thomas

Brazil on Lichfield? Surely not. Avenues went along to drink like a Brazilian.

Brazilian white magic

Nicknamed 'white lightening' by some and, bizarrely, 'cat choker' by others, cachaca is Brazil's national spirit. Made from distilled sugar cane, it tastes very much like rum and quickly makes its presence known in a cocktail.

Bar Beleza in Christchurch's bohemian Lichfield Lane precinct has a Brazilian theme and specialises in punchy cocktails such as Batida, containing cachaca, condensed milk and coconut. Bar Beleza serves an adequate range of beers and wine brands, such as Jacob's Creek and Stoneleigh, but what really sets it apart is its cocktails, accompanied by wood-fired pizzas or sizzling meat and seafood platters. All cocktails are $15. Generous glasses of wine are about $7 to $8.50 and beers about the same. 

The décor is not flashy; rather, it has a somewhat messy, eclectic feel.

The bar area, which contains a couple of couches and some leather booths, also features a strangely appealing wooden carving of a man's face, a Brazilian flag and several plastic parrots. Another wall is covered with photos of supple young things dancing, drinking and generally having a good time at the bar.

My darling date and I visited on a Sunday, not long after the opening time of 5pm. We were the only customers for a while, so had a chance to chat with the blonde dreadlocked woman serving behind the bar. She assured us that a Caipirinha cocktail, containing the famous cachaca, sugar and lime, tastes sublime when drunk on a beach, preferably in Brazil.

Despite a lack of suitable attire, and a brisk north-easterly raging outside, we boldly ordered a Caipirinha and dived in. After a disappointingly short time, we reached a pile of ice at the bottom of the glass. The drink was tart and delicious, and we could easily have sucked our way to the bottom of another. However, we decided, at $15 a pop, we had better restrain our thirst and try a different cocktail.

Our second tipple, the Batida, came in a wide, flat cocktail glass and was a white frothy delicious mass. The rum-like flavour hit the tongue first, then a slight aftertaste of coconut. I ran my straw across the top of this alcoholic ambrosia and licked the froth off it as we munched on a hot plate of steak, fish and scallops ($13 for a choice of three meats or seafoods).

My friend visited the bar one week night and was thrilled to find a magician performing tricks in the large pool hall off the bar. He said it was astonishing, and it's easy to imagine the strange sight of a man doing magic tricks in the quirky Bar Beleza. My friend commented after his visit a few months ago that the bar could use a few ashtrays outside for the much-maligned smokers. These have arrived since his visit.

Sadly, my darling date and I missed the magician's performance, but tried our own trick of seeing who could make pool balls disappear into the pool table pockets the fastest. As usual, my slight of hand was inferior to that of my companion. The bar charges $5 for half an hour at a pool table, or $2.50 for 15 minutes, and there is also a foosball table for those who prefer to battle it out with little plastic men and a mini football.

The pool room is large with exposed steel beams and a black painted ceiling contrasting with coffee-coloured walls and bricks, which gives it an industrial feel. Bright floor paintings add life to the space. Two-way mirrors in the pool room allow you to keep an eye on what's happening in the bar, as your pool balls ricochet disappointingly around the table, missing the pockets. Walk outside the pool room and you find yourself in an alley, which doubles as a wood-fired pizza kitchen.

On a cold Canterbury night, the temperature would spoil the outdoor experience, but the smells wafting from the wood-fire oven would no doubt help you endure it.

Another warming aspect to the bar is the mix of cool, laid-back music, which had the darling date unconsciously tapping his feet the entire time we were at Bar Beleza. This Lichfield Street gem has an unassuming presence from the street, but once inside, it is warm, fun and a little left-of-centre.

Where: 130 Lichfield Street.

Hours: 5pm to 11pm, seven days a week.

Wine: Pedestrian range.

Prices: Cocktails are a bit pricey, but potent.

Service: Low-key.

Ambience: Relaxed, cool.

Amenities: Smelled freshly painted, clean.