The hottest spots we’ve found out and about in our gastronomic adventures in Buenos Aires….
Madri, mercado de tapas, Carranza 1859, Palermo – We approached this place on a Sunday with a touch of trepidation. The enticing website gave it the look of a place likely to do some serious damage to our wallets. I mean, “the only place in Argentina with a magnetic bar”. We didn’t even know what that was, but it sounded expensive.
Turns out, it’s a metal track with magnetized plastic disks that are carried along by whatever magnetic force is beneath, and on which, if there are people at the bar, they send out random tapas that you can grab like dim sum as they pass by.
And, it’s not expensive at all. At least at this point, the pricing on each plate of tapas is a mere 130 pesos, basically $2, and for the month of February, on Sundays, a mere $100 pesos a plate! Our waiter said there are specials every month on one day or another (check their Instagram account for announcements).
We decided to dig in. Our first round: An excellent gazpacho with toast; tasty the classic pa amb tomiquet, toasted bread with tomato and Iberico ham; delicious foccacia with avocado and cured sardines; a really good salmon tartare with oyster sauce on a rice cake; and a decent, if not spicy, ceviche.
Swiftly followed by equally good bomba amarillo – a potato croquette topped with a prawn, lime, and chili; and the secreto iberico, pork belly with caramelized onions and aioli.
Still not done we went in for scallops in a parmesan crust and a chorizo cooked in cider in a bao. The only real disappointment of the day, the bao itself was chewy and, well, just not right.
We finished off with a plate of the day’s special, crispy fried eggplant in a mustard infused crust, drizzled with honey.
All told, 1000 pesos plus drinks and tip, a bargain for three of us, and easy to recommend. They also have a small store upfront where you can buy some of the products they serve. What’s not to like?
Mian, Mendoza 1629, Barrio Chino (Belgrano) – Moved and improved, from its former hole-in-the-wall digs at Mendoza 1725. The posted menu is still just in Chinese. It’s somewhat expanded from the former menu. And, they now offer a Spanish version of the menu, something they adamantly refused to do for years in the old spot.
Clued in on a first visit by Allie from Pick up the Fork, on a solo visit I ordered “#5B”. I was thinking about dumplings too, but the waitress opined that that would be a whole lot of food. And, she was right, because I couldn’t even finish this. A huge bowl of delicious, agripicante, hot and sour, broth, with slippery tapioca (yuca) starch noodles, vegetables, and a mix of roasted pork and beef. I can see why it’s her favorite. 420 pesos.
Doesn’t mean there’s not more to try, and a second visit with a friend…
So, he ordered the same one I’d had on the previous visit. After spending a bit of time figuring out the menu (the Spanish version gives pretty basic names, like “noodle soup with beef”, and some of them are just plain wrong, so I’d gone through and spent some time on the Chinese to figure out just what each dish was). I decided on the Putien Lor Mee (Putien braised noodles) “#11” hoping that they made it really traditionally – silky noodles, pork belly, prawns, and clams. What came out was good, but only a shadow of a traditional Putien dish – it had maybe three prawns, a few pieces of calamari, some shredded fake-crab stick, and, basically, plain wheat noodles. It was good, the broth was delicious, but it was no Putien Lor Mee. 400 pesos.
We also split an order of xiaolongbao, soup dumplings “#27” (which in the Spanish version are just listed as “steamed pork empanaditas”. Tasty, very tasty. Lacking a bit in quantity of soup inside, but great flavor. 220 pesos.
And, a third visit, solo….
Fried pork bun (fried empanada on the menu), “#25” – filled with a large, lightly spiced pork meatball. A little chewy, but delicious. 70 pesos.
Spicy, sweet, salty, chicken gizzards “34A” – served cold. I should have asked to have them warmed, although cold is the traditional way to serve these. Perfectly cooked, just a little chewy, but mostly tender and tasty. 220 pesos.
Who doesn’t love cold, or warm, sesame noodles “#22”. Usually, they’re more peanut than sesame, and these are no exception, in fact, the menu actually says they’re noodles with peanut butter and soy sauce. And, that’s pretty much all they are. The noodles are fine, they’ve been lightly slathered with peanut butter, doused in soy sauce, and a bit of sauteed chinese cabbage is added to it. As this dish goes, not a particularly great version. Oh well. 200 pesos.
