Guanabara

Parker Street (Corner of Drury Lane)
London WC2B 5PW

Unless you’re Ken Livingstone gleefully switching the congestion charge machine back on after the weekend, or perhaps an avid film fan who enjoys ‘cheap night’ at the Clapham Picturehouse, then Mondays probably mean as much to you as they did to Sir Bob and his Boomtown Rats.

Filed away neatly in the ‘SUCK’ folder of your mind is that familiar working week affliction - hungover, skint, and feeling like a fat bloater - and all because your Saturday night out unexpectedly evolved into a Sunday afternoon sesh.

You’re unlikely to look much further than the ‘TV Guide’ button on your Sky remote for your Monday evening entertainment, therefore. If only there were a way to redeem yourself without the guilt of booze or an excruciating jog around ‘the Common’.

Enter Monday nights at Guanabara, London’s best Brazilian bar.

Earlier this year the Guanabara team, led by their amiable captain and all-round good sort - Bel, transformed Mondays into something more sophisicated. In all probability you’ve been to Guanabara before - it was a Friday night and the whole of London was there, scrummed down for the post-work summoning of the weekend Gods. Fridays can be ‘lively’, this is true. Mondays, however, are different. It’s a school night and should be a little more civilised, but with a hint of carnival to keep you interested.

Each week the traditional Brazilian pop genres of Chorinho and Bossa Nova take turns to soothe the weary souls that enter Guanabara. The first, Chorinho or ‘little lament’, pre-dates the notorious world of Brazilian jazz, yet only became successful once the bands began playing live over the radio.

Originally consisting of a trio - a flute, a guitar and a cavaquinho (a small chordophone) – Chorinho these days encompasses the mandolin, the clarinet and the saxophone as well. Its popularity faltered slightly when Bossa Nova was born (thanks to samba) during the 1960s.

The two classic genres invoke the spirit of youth and regeneration and why shouldn’t they; it was the students and young folk that made them popular in the first place?! It is no coincidence, therefore, that they afford the same esteem today. Guanabara, London’s Little Rio, is a big draw with the scholarly crowd at the beginning of the week, especially when bottles of Brazilian beer are on offer for only £1. However, for those that do not have the luxury of a 10am class to ignore the next morning (i.e. the rest of us) Chorinho and Bossa Nova provide a scientifically-proven antidote to all known Monday FODs (Feeling Of Doom). They can also help to rid your body of any superfluous lardiness. And in some cases, they can even help cure male pattern baldness, impotence, the pains of childbirth, nagging bosses, rising damp, rush hour traffic, obsessions with Ben Affleck and inevitable mortality.

Mondays are different at Guanabara. For a start, you can actually see the floor, which is an attribute often overlooked. Secondly, it’s free to get in, thus solving any financial tribulations. Thirdly, it’s the most enjoyable way to get fit.

Samba is to Chorihno as donkey rides are to Blackpool Pleasure Beach – nothing really happens unless you shift that ass. And there’s no better place to get some exercise than on Guanabara’s gigantic circular dancefloor, resplendent with miniature disco balls. After a free hour-long samba lesson you’ll have worked up a sweat, an appetite and a thirst. But remember, this is a Monday night. Save the caipirinhas for the weekend. Ignore the fact that Guanabara sells about 5 million different varieties of cachaça. This is the day to purge the weekend away and capitulate to your body’s retaliatory vexation! With this in mind Fluid recommends you complete the following once you’ve samba-ed your sins away:

- Drink one Passion Cooler non-alcoholic cocktail
- Order the spicy chorizo with flat bread ‘linguiça’ starter, but don’t eat it all because you need to save room for…
- One beef carne sanduíches with guacamole & salsa
- Drink one more non-alcoholic cocktail, perhaps the mango, passionfruit & banana Tropical Fusion, then…
- Sit back and let your dinner digest as you absorb one healthy dose of Chorinho courtesy of the band, Agua de Choro. This highly-proficient team of talented young men glide through an infectious mix of their unique material and a few consummate oldies (such as ‘Mais Que Nada’), all in the Choro style. They’re lead by a singer who is half angel, half mamacita and goes by the name Angelita (yes, that rhymes).

You have just reclaimed your Mondays!