EATERIES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
MARITA Sanchez de Bustamante 2498, Barrio Norte. (11) 4802-6670 Blink and you'd miss this secluded bistro on a tranquil block in Barrio Norte. Owned by a wine sommelier of the same name, Marita is chic and understated, with its white interior, gorgeous flower arrangements and inviting black leather sofas. The menu is concise yet enticing, from sweetbread pinchos to whet the appetite to top notch mushroom risotto and pork loin for mains. Weekly wine tasting events are relaxed affairs, with a different amuse bouche paired with each wine, a steal at 100 pesos.
GRAN DABBANG Av RaĂşl Scalabrini Ortiz 1543, Palermo. (11) 4832-1186. Facebook: grandebban gcafe Open only a matter of months and yet you'd be hard pushed to get a table on a busy Friday or Saturday night. Run by an enthusiastic anglo-Argentine husband and wife team (Mariano is Argentine, Philippa is British) the culinary influences from their stay in Asia are apparent in their liberal use of herbs and chilies in their dishes. For Buenos Aires, famously spice shy, Dabbang is another welcome alternative to the culinary circuit. Swish Chard pakoras with yoghurt and Sriracha are delightfully light and flavoursome,
cornbread with watercress and poached egg an unlikely match made in heaven, and the babbaghanoush the best I've sampled in BA, perhaps in my life. Dishes are seasonal and the prices inflation busting, for now, so don't pass up the chance of a delicious steal.
EL PERLADO HipĂłlito Yrigoyen 1386, Congreso. (11) 4382-8689. Facebook: El Perlado The art deco monochrome decking is the first thing that strikes you with this hip Congreso watering hole. The perfect place to kick off a Porteno evening, the cocktails are both reasonable and well made - they can quickly rustle up a mean margarita and their passionfruit pisco sour is the house speciality. Chances are you'll get seduced by the menu, with the renowned beetroot and goats cheese gnocchi a perennial favourite, along with the winning formula tabbouleh and sensational lamb burgers. Don't forget dessert, the tarte tatin is a memorable afterthought.
YEITE Humboldt 293, Villa Crespo. (11) 4855-6777 The place that everyone has been raving about, and with good reason. Pame Villar, widely recognised as the best pastry chef in BA has set up her first solo enterprise. She currently designs the dessert menu
at Fernando Trocca's Sucre restaurant and features on local Masterchef. The decor is fresh and unpretentious, with flaking paint, overhead spotlights, fern green tiles, and rustic mirrored walls scrawled in marker with the daily specials. The food follows a similar line, with a photocopied paper menu offering simple yet inventive sharing plates like oven roasted pumpkin and yellow beets, seasonal greens with almonds and zucchini fritters with tzatziki. The deserts and baked goods are sheer purgatory for anyone with lax self restraint as is the molten chocolate 'volcan' which is prepared to order, the most worthwhile 15 minute wait you're likely to endure.
ROUX Pena 2300, Recoleta. (11) 4805 6794 wwww.rouxresto.com Roux is Martin Rebaudino's solo project after 18 years as head chef at Oviedo and it's a slick affair. This is contemporary Argentine cuisine at its best, with a molecular slant. Rebaudino marries flavours perfectly in his selection of dishes, seafood being his particular strength. The decor is understated and minimal, the food really does do the talking here. It's not cheap but the ambience and quality of the dishes is top notch and for a memorable night out, Roux hits the spot.
Vanessa Bell is a freelancer and founder of Creme de la Creme, a bespoke personalised shopping service, showing the exclusive and underground BA, from fashion, vintage, art and antiques to interior design and the best kept secret places to eat. (15) 3857 8127 www.cremedelacremeba.com www.facebook.com/cremedelacremeba Instagram.com/cremedelacremeba
Marita
Grand Dabbang
El Perlado
Yeite
Roux
13