Lanterne Rouge

Fancy an Argentinian?

As part of an attempt to eat well of as many different cuisines as possible, I got to experience real Argentinian food last night at Buen Ayre. There was no question it would be all about the steak, but fortunately they do several mixed grills (part of a thankfully short and simple menu - when we did Korean a couple of months ago we all gratefully and, somewhat pathetically, put ourselves in the manager’s hands. Which turned out to be the right decision, as we ate superbly), which meant four of us tucked into (deep breath) a 14oz sirloin steak, an 11oz rib-eye steak, black pudding, two Argentinian sausages and a generous slab of melty, salty provolone cheese.

And my god, was it good. The larger of the two steaks was the only disappointment - much less flavoured than the other, thicker, less crisp on the outside - but the smaller was one of the most wonderful cuts of meat I’ve ever had. I was a bit of a wuss and went for medium-medium-rare, but it was just right.

The sausages were excellent, spicy and flavoursome, but the black pudding was the most fascinating of all. Softer and wetter than its sturdy British counterpart, it was a savoury delight, subtly yet powerfully flavoured and, to my palate at least, incredibly reminiscent of Dr Pepper. And it went fantastically well with the cheese.

We also had chips, because we’re greedy buggers, though most went uneaten, despite being superb, crusty and crispy, and served with an aioli which was, as far as I could tells, garlic and parsley crushed together with a little oil. Delicious but quite full on. Finally, we went for the cheapest hourse red, which was spot on, which is always a good sign in places like this.

So, another success for the dining club. We’re 4 for 4 in the meals I’ve managed to attend (Ethiopian, Korean, Argentinian and Mexican), and I’m pushing for Caribbean next, despite that cheerful chap on the telly making it look a bit, well, bland. No doubt I’ll write about it when it happens…