If you haven't explored Sydney's Little Portugal, in the inner western suburb of Petersham, you might not know you can order a literal sword of meat here. 

Yes, at Petersham’s Costa do Sol you’ll find lamb, beef or chicken threaded onto a sword and served with a flourish so dramatic that we’ve named it the must-try dish of the week.

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Is that the full name?

Depends which meat you go for, it’s “Espetada A Costa Do Sol” for beef, “Espetada de Barrego” for lamb and “Espetada de frango” for chicken.

Where do you get it?

Costa Do Sol, 102 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham NSW 2049

Why is it a winner?

If you like your dinner with a side order of theatrics, you can’t do much better than a sword of perfectly chargrilled chicken, beef or lamb. It comes to your table hot off the grill and is suspended from a metal frame while you eat. With fried potato rounds and Portuguese salad it makes a meal so good that we saw an avowed vegetarian turn carnivore. A word of warning though, don’t touch the sword itself, it’s super hot, instead use your fork and knife to prise the tender meat from the sword and pop it straight into your mouth.

Anything else to know?

A Portuguese meal isn’t complete without a pastel de nata. Lucky for you excellent versions of Portugal’s famous custard tarts can be found just up the road from Costa Do Sol at Sweet Belem. Don’t forget to buy a few before dinner and keep them for after (if you can stop yourself scoffing them immediately).

Want more Must-try dishes? Check out Sydney’s best cannoli and a hot pot experience to remember.

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