Argentinian down under at Gaucho's Argentinian Restaurant, Adelaide

Posted by Hendy

No trip to Adelaide would be complete without a visit to Gaucho's Argentinian Restaurant, which prides itself as being Australia's first Argentinian restaurant.

Established in 1985, Gaucho's offers many dishes that Argentinian cuisine is best known for: beef, pork and an elaborate selection of grilled meat dishes. The name Gaucho's comes from the original pioneers of Argentina who roamed the vast plains of the Patagonian grasslands, the pampas.

Ciabatta with extra virgin olive oil and house made dukkah at Gaucho's Argentinian Restaurant, Gouger Street, Adelaide

The restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating and with the warm, beautiful Adelaide day, we opted for the great outdoors.

Starting with ciabatta bread with olive oil and dukkah, and warm, marinated mixed olives, we trawled through the extensive menu which is broken down into courses: entrada (entrée), primer plato (first course), segunda plato (second course) and firma plato (signature dishes).

Oliva - Warmed mixed olives with chilli, paprika, tequila and lime

What stood out in the signature dishes were all the asado barbecue or grill based dishes. There was everything from simple eye fillet, scotch fillet, porterhouse beef cuts and a number of wagyu cuts – including rump and striploin – to mixed grilled meats that can all be 'asado'ed.

Churrasco Grande - Wagyu rump

It was hard not to, so we all opted to order steaks or ribs from the mouth-watering asado menu and a number of side dishes.

The first plate to arrive was the Churrasco Grande; a 500-gram wagyu rump steak with a marble score of 8+, aged for over 42 days and sourced from Mayura Station in Limestone Coast, South Australia.

The rump was well cooked to medium-rare as ordered, delectable with just a pinch of salt and very, very tender with the wagyu marbling giving it a buttery texture. There was also the light chimmichurri marinade that Gaucho's put on all its steaks to give them their signature finishing.

Bife De Chorizo - New York style porterhouse

A number of us ordered the Bife De Chorizo grain-fed Riverine porterhouse, aged for a minimum of 42 days. Simply presented alone on the plate, the porterhouse was there to shine; similarly tender at medium-rare as with the wagyu rump.

Six-hour slow-cooked beef ribs coated with blue cheese sauce

The last protein to hit the table was the six-hour cooked beef ribs - one of three specials on the day. Giant as it seemed, the slow cooking meant the rib meat just fell straight off the bone.

The single rib was served with a blue cheese sauce that surprisingly wasn't overpowering but complemented the beef, providing it with a draping of flavour alongside colourful vegetables on the side of the wooden board.

Hand cut fried potatoes with rosemary and sea salt

Hand-cut, skin-on, fried potatoes, a fancy chunk of a chip if you will, come default with the main dishes.

With their mid-sized cuts, the potatoes were crunchy on the outside and wedges-fluffy on the inside, seasoned with rosemary, sea salt and paprika to finish.

Verduras verde - Seasonal greens sauteed with olive oil, lemon and fresh chilli

To topple the protein imbalances, we ordered greens from the ensaladas é verduras menu. The greens side of broccolini was simply sautéed with oil, lemon and chilli.

Pera ensalada - Salad of pear, witlof, radicchio, pecorino and roasted walnuts

The pear salad was a colourful and flavourful mix of sliced pear, radicchio and pecorino cheese, with toasted walnuts and some witlof greens.

I loved the balance of flavours of the salad, from the saltiness of the pecorino to the bitterness of the radicchio to the sweet slices of pear.

Being my second time at Gaucho's since few years ago, not much has changed. Gaucho's has retained its simplicity and ability to present good Argentinian dishes at its purest form - making it a worthwhile stop if you're ever down under in Adelaide.

Bodega: It’s been too long between drinks

My first visit to Bodega was approximately 7.5 years ago in 2006 when the Argentinian tapas bar first sprouted up on Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, just down from my former drinking hole corner pub.

Indeed, it was my work farewell lunch and for most, our first taste of tapas that wasn't strictly Spanish. I remember being a little confused with lunch – or perhaps that was just my impending unemployment.

Drinks at Bodega, Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills

In any case, it's taken me way too long to get back to Bodega. During that time they've expanded into the next door shop, gained a cult status among food-lovers and rockabillies alike, spawned a wildly successful sister restaurant in Porteño, and scored one hat in the latest Good Food Guide.

I had some catching up to do so walked in on a recent Friday night to the best seats in the house: at the kitchen counter overlooking the chefs at work, including on this night owner Elvis Abrahanowicz while his wife and maitre d', the inimitable Sarah Doyle, was also on the floor.

We started with the crisp bubbles of Cruzat Clasico and the Spanish Ambar 1900 Pale Ale while perusing the brief menu which sings and dances with creativity.

Tinned white anchovies, fish pate & water crackers

I'm slowly coming around to anchovies, especially when they're excellent specimens like the tin from Bodega on their tapas menu: lightly pickled in vinegar Spanish style and not particularly salty.

Served on rulers of house made crackers, the anchovies were almost as delectable as the airy fish pate which, strange as it sounds, was sensational. With restrained fishy, savoury and creamy flavours spread on a cracker, I'm not sure I've ever had the pleasure of anything quite like Bodega's fish pate.

Empanada filled with provolone

Empanadas, and their dumpling-like derivatives, seem to be hot around town at the moment. Bodega's provolone-filled parcel of deep fried goodness didn't disappoint with its stringy cheese innards, although it lacked a sauce or salsa on the side.

School prawns with curry mayonnaise

One of the evening's specials, the whole fried school prawns arrived as a generous pile, garnished with sliced shallots and a huge dollop of curry-hued mayonnaise; the latter of which is a genius flavour combination.

The prawns were wonderfully crisp, a few black heads aside, and were great drinking snacks that disappeared in a hurry.

Dutch carrots, fried cauliflower, smoked labna, tahini & currants

It would seem that standalone carrot dishes are making their mark on Sydney, with Bodega's featuring soft portions of the orange root vegetables with deep fried cauliflower florets, smoky labna yoghurt and sweet currants in a pool of a mild tahini sesame paste.

I had wanted the carrot dish to be a bit like a side dish to the protein main we had ordered, although it was quite a while between dishes and so the carrots were devoured on their sweet lonesome.

Corn tamale, fontina cheese, mole roja with chicken

Emerging from the oven wrapped in a leaf, the tamale of smooth masa corn meal was filled with mild fontina cheese, fresh corn from the cob and tender chicken smothered in a complex mole sauce.

With a liberal coriander garnish and fresh lemon on the side, the corn tamale was a fresh, filling package covering all the major food groups – carbs, dairy, vegetable and protein – and ideal for sharing between two.

Crispy duck, scallops, chocolate mole, Old Bay apple

Our final dish was the duck main, served with scallops in an chocolate mole sauce. I'd never thought I would have scallops with chocolate, though the sauce was better with the rich, crisp-skin duck pieces.

The paper-thin rounds of apple were the only part that didn’t seem to work – while they added a refreshing tartness to the duck and sauce, the Old Bay seasoning on each slice was just way too salty to enjoy.

We had forgotten to leave space and time for dessert on this occasion, and with a queue out the door, we didn't linger too long. But at least I've got Bodega's renowned dessert offerings, among other delicious reasons, to make sure it’s not 7.5 years between meals and drinks at Bodega again.

Porteño calling

I’d been meaning to go to Porteño since it opened in September last year, mostly to heed the call of the woodfired suckling pig, but the constantly packed-out restaurant and no bookings policy had prevented me from doing so.

Recently, I was particularly chuffed to have found an occasion for which dinner on a Monday night was appropriate; since my logic was that they surely couldn’t be that busy on a Monday evening.

The parilla at Porteño, Cleveland Street, Surry Hills

Well, they were, but we were lucky to score the last table for two after a quick cocktail at the upstairs Gardel’s Bar.

From the Bodega guys, Elvis Abrahanowicz, Ben Milgate and Joseph Valore, Porteño is an Argentinean grill restaurant that’s become a magnet for rave reviews and meat-induced swoons

The setting is just perfect – a large, airy, former house with sunken rooms, around-the-corner spaces and a courtyard feel – all decked out stylishly with a nod to Argentinean heritage and roots.

The asado

Our table was in prime position right in front of the asado pit and parrilla grill which sit just outside the kitchen. There are a few tables here, a few in the sunken courtyard, a communal table and others in the nooks and crannies of the character-filled venue.

The below-mentioned, all hard at work

Abrahanowicz’s father, Adan, mans the spinning metal contraption that tightly holds flayed pigs and lambs over a warming wood fire, while Abrahanowicz junior presides over sawing meat off the grill and plating the woodfired goodies, and Milgate the parrilla and associated plating.

Pan de casa - House baked bread with olive oil and pork pate

As a fairly hungry dining duo, I found it a difficult to sample a large range from the enticing menu. Our waiter recommends a couple of choices from the smaller, starter-like menu, one meat dish and one side dish.

It’s not easy to whittle down the choices from what I want, but we start on pan de casa - for one as I didn’t want to waste eating capacity on bread.

What I didn’t know was that this white, house-baked bread was sublime; a crunchy, floury outer and fluffy innards, perfect with the very citrusy olive oil, the rich and smooth porcine pate and even the eggplant starter.

Berenjenas picante – Spiced eggplant

Informed that the eggplant was roasted for hours then marinated in spices, I hadn’t expected the dish that arrived. The inside flesh of the eggplant was darkened brown and almost a complete mush; quite ideal to spread on bread.

But the flavour from the roasted vegetable was nothing short of sensational – enlivened with chilli and cumin, the robust flavours against the delicate flesh and intact skin made for a meal in itself, so intense and bang-on the flavours.

I couldn’t help but scrape the very last remnants of eggplant from the oil, and lick every bit from the tiny serving fork.

Morcilla – Blood sausage with red peppers in garlic

I’m not good with blood. Chinese style pig’s blood jelly gives me the heebie-jeebies and I’m not much better with any style of blood sausage or black pudding.

Porteño’s chunky morcilla isn’t quite spurting blood or anything, but it’s not that far from it as far as I'm concerned. A little crumbly and dotted with cubes of pork fat, the thickly sliced blood sausage reveals its all atop an appropriately-red roasted capsicum.

I manage a small taste of an edge that's free of fat cubes, especially with some of the super-sweet capsicum, but I don’t really manage a larger bit with a jelly-like fat cube. The capsicum, on the other hand, is delightfully roasted with an earthy smokiness that would be impossible to replicate on the home stovetop.

Chanchito a la cruz – Woodfired suckling pig

The pork was other-worldly; simply spectacular. The smallish serve is deceptive as appearances give nothing away as to the richness of the pork. We landed a rib-like portion consisting four pieces of the suckling pig; and later in the night, I even saw the head being dished out.

Firstly, the crackling. I’ve never seen pork skin/crackling so thin, and not bubbled and puffed but rather smooth (like the non-crunchy parts of Chinese roast pork crackling).

I picked up a shard of this smooth, burnished brown crackling, with very little fat on the underside, and tasted the most perfectly roasted, shatteringly crunchy pig skin ever.

Woodfired suckling pig - lust-worthy

And then the flesh. It’s undeniably fatty, at least the section we got. But it was as if all the fat had completely rendered down and melded with the meat such that the impossibly soft flesh is actually a blend of fat and flesh.

So, maybe that’s not so appetising a description, but it was tender, moist, full of flavour on its own and hands-down the best roasted pork I’ve ever had.

Repollitos de Brusela frito – Crispy fried Brussels sprouts with lentils and mint

Best vegetable side ever? Probably that too. I’d heard the hype and didn’t think I’d be all that convinced by deep fried halves of Brussels sprouts. Being deep fried and hence unhealthy, for me they don’t even really qualify as a healthy vegetable serve.

But at the first bite of the slightly crispened Brussels sprout, and I was a converted worshipper of the humble miniature cabbage. I think the key is the dressing that each and every sprout is dressed in: sweet, tangy and a fabulous match to the greenery.

The lentils were almost redundant except for the fact that I love lentils. These took on an almost meaty flavour; while the mint leaves throughout were necessary to freshen up the overall flavours.

Postre chaja – Argentinean pavlova

We’d ordered a dish more than the waiter suggested but took the leftovers home as I wanted to ensure room for dessert. As a pavlova fan, there was no other choice but to order Porteño’s take on the Aussie (Kiwi?) classic dessert.

Looking like a neatly thrown-together melange of ingredients, I first see and devour bits of white meringue with fresh cream and cooked peaches, which look so much like the tinned stuff but I’m positive aren’t.

Digging deeper I hit jackpot with a thick river of gooey dulce de leche and peanuts – a winning combination as salty-sweet combinations can often be. The layers of delicate sponge partner well with the cream and peaches, but awkwardly with the caramelly-thick dulce de leche and crunchy nuts.

In all, I’m not sure all the dessert ingredients go together as well as everything else through the night did. Water was desperately needed to wash down the sugar overload though the staff seemed a little run off their feet for the full-house Monday night.

The asado at the end of the night

But this was easily forgiven at the end of our night, when there were just small parts of two whole animal (from a starting total of four) left on the asado and a genial buzz around the very open room.

Happily clutching my foil-packed leftovers, I bid adiós to Porteño for now, leaving the premises as others were just arriving at the restaurant.

With the variety of the menu and the richness of a lot of the dishes, I’d say dining with a group of at least four is ideal, in which case you could order both the woodfired pork and lamb, more sides and a few desserts to end – which is what I intend to do next time I heed the call for oh-so-beautiful meat at Porteño.