An Edible Voyage

January 2020 And if you need something nutritious amongst all this meat and sweet delights?    Head to Mahalo in Buenos Aires for Waihiki a smoothie bowl of banana, passionfruit, coconut, leite condensado (this is Argentina after all), topped with granola and sliced banana.

January 2020 A hotchpotch of parillas, cafes with coffee and medialunas deals, street food, and the odd hipster cafe thrown in for good measure. For me Buenos Aires was one of those places that’s great to just be in.    Not a huge amount of activities or sights that I was interested in, but a great vibe with some really cool hidden areas, think railway arches turned in to ice cream parlours and bars with swings outside between Plaza de la Shoa and Parque 3 de Febrero, and groups of containers serving posh burgers and artisan beer at Los Dos Arcos.    For an informal beginners Tango lesson, head to La Cathedral, a dingy and sweaty building but full of atmosphere.    It does get busy and becomes a bit like dodgems, but that means there is less pressure.

January 2020 A staple quick bite on the go, or filler upper when you’re running low on cash.     A baked or fried bready pastry turnover with a variety of fillings – beef, chicken, cheese and ham.     The quality really depends on the freshness and whether it’s been mass produced.     I also noticed many shops microwave them which I imagine makes them a little soggy.     In my opinion, a good one should be slightly warm from the oven and full of flavour, so find them from street sellers who carry around small baskets of their freshly baked goods.     I found a great one in the El Caminito area of Buenos Aires.

January 2020 When Italians migrated to Argentina, they brought with them their love for gelato.    Ice cream is everywhere in Buenos Aires.    You won’t walk more than a couple of streets before you find a heladeria boasting a whole menu of chocolate flavours, another of fruit flavours, and of course, a whole menu of dulce de leche flavours, making it near impossible to choose.    Maybe it’s the choice of flavours, maybe it’s the heat, the local thing to do seems to be to buy quarter kilo tubs, but with so many heladerias, it’s difficult to know where to begin.    After consulting bar staff and taxi drivers, I settled on Volta and stuck to the basics.    The Chocolate Negro was a little disappointing – I was hoping for a serious cacao hit, the Dulce de Leche on the other hand was dreamy.    A strong caramel flavour, not too creamy, slightly salty, I could have savoured it for hours, but it was melting at a rate of knots!...

January 2020 It wouldn’t be a trip to Argentina without battling an enormous steak.    I’m not a huge meat fan, particularly not red meat, but anything local and I’m sold.    We stumbled across La Carniceria in Palermo.    It seems eating out is a popular activity in Buenos Aires and despite the plethora of restaurants, many were fully booked.    What I particularly liked about this place was that the door (once we found it) was locked so you have to knock and wait for someone to come out and add your name to the waiting list (you could book in advance but we didn’t have that foresight).    We then sat on the step outside quaffing a delicious bottle of Mendoza Malbec, watching the world go by whilst we waited for a table. The restaurant was intimate, with a handful of tables, a bar with a pit of fire behind it and wallpapered with photos of cow carcasses, which did make it feel a little like we were sitting in an abattoir.  ...

January 2020 In general, the coffee wasn’t great in Argentina – I heard that the best South American beans get exported where they sell for more. However, I did come across a place in Buenos Aires where I had possibly the best flat white of my life.    LAB, a micro-roastery in Palermo consistently made excellent coffees.    The milk was steamed to perfection, the coffee was slightly nutty, slightly sweet, slightly bitter and almost creamy.    The café itself is a bright, chic space with a glass wall to let the sunlight stream in, and a natural colour palette of woods and coffee bean sacks.    They also do very good medialunas, and the almost bite-size means they’re almost guilt free.

January 2020 Medialunas Breakfast means two things here – coffee and medialunas or coffee and tostados (see below).    The streets are lined with cafes offering coffee and medialuna deals.    These crescents of deliciousness are slightly crispy and syrupy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle.    The coffee perfectly balances the sweetness, I didn’t want them to end!    The best ones I found were at Dulce Maria in Martinez which has the added bonus of being on the Rio de la Plata beach, with views across the water to the city.    Go on a Sunday, late morning, to soak up the atmosphere when locals head to the beach. Tostados The other breakfast option (breakfast is a simple and light affair in Argentina).    Toasted bread served with cream cheese and jam – these work surprisingly well together and are a good option for a tasty breakfast that will leave you with space for an asado later. Find it everywhe...

January 2020 Another meat sandwich – this is Argentina after all.    Very similar to choripan but with pork shoulder, also found at the parilla trucks along the Costanera Sur.    Look for the best ones where the pork is cut to order, and don’t forget to top it with colourful chimichurri and salsa criolla.  

January 2020 More sausagey than chorizo, more chorizoey than sausage, dripping with juice and grilled to order.  Presented in a baguette for you to add whatever combination of salsas you desire from the large, colourful jars adorning the counter.  Heap on salsa criolla - chopped peppers and red onions tossed with olive oil and red wine vinegar, and chimichurri - chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, olive oil and red wine vinegar.  It's rich, it's meaty, it's messy, it's cheap and it's tasty (although it’s so rich one between two is plenty).  Try it at any of the parilla trucks on the Costanera Sur - I suggest the one with the biggest queue.  Go on a Sunday afternoon to wander among locals dancing to microphone wielding signers, alfajores sellers, old school metal presses creating the sweetest and freshest orange juice, and groups chilling on the wall, sipping beer from the beer bikes which cycle up and down pouring cups of cool beer.