Profiled by de Groots MediaDining at Buenos Aires Brasserie on a weekly basis will result in two outcomes. Your credit card will inflate with weight gain and you will run the risk of mooing when you open your mouth to speak. The steaks here are off the dial – of the scales, that is. The one kilogram (or more) t-bone gives you a “real meat fix” and 10 cents change from $60. Put that towards its arranged marriage to a sauce from the “salsa” registry. There are six of these beauties and at $16, the garlic and chilli prawns salsa sounds generous enough to be an entree. There is also a heavenly offering of a cream-based sauce with onions pan-fried in olive oil and brandy, anchovies and Roquefort cheese. Order it regardless – pour it on anything – just make sure you try it.
Not all steaks are Flintstone-sized. If you want to mix things up, order the parrillado mixta and then endeavour to make room for it on your table and in your tummy. A portable charcoal grill sets up camp in front of you. It is laden with lamb, pork, chicken, kidneys, black pudding, sweetbreads, spicy sausage and, naturally, steak. Seafood aficionados will adore this menu too. It is crawling with crabs, oysters, prawns, octopus, calamari, mussels and fish dishes. Traditional Spanish paella makes a cameo appearance in the dining room, which is as large as any of chef Norberto’s servings. Until I find a man as beefy as this menu, I propose to spend as much time at Buenos Aires as my purse and digestive system give their blessing to.
Roz Taylor, May 2008
