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2011-07-28
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I'm a fan of South American cuisine, especially the way they grill meats, and so when the bf discovered this place I was quite excited to try it. Funny enough though, it wasn't the meats that impressed us the most...it was the PIES AND CHORIZO which really made the meal! Food:We ordered a set of pies (chicken and beef) and beef chorizo for starters. Wow, what a great way to start! The pies were impressive even before your teeth sank beyond the crust - the crust was piping hot, light, and so
Food:
We ordered a set of pies (chicken and beef) and beef chorizo for starters. Wow, what a great way to start!
The pies were impressive even before your teeth sank beyond the crust - the crust was piping hot, light, and soft yet crispy...none of that hard overbaked nonsense. Then the fillings, oh the fillings! They had some kind of herb mixture with which they marinated the meats giving it an exotic flavour (the beef one reminded me of Xinjiang food), and coupled with the fine ingredients and oven-fresh temperature, it was a real winner. I liked how the used good meats, even for a lowly little pie - not something all restaurants would be so generous on. The meat pieces weren't big, but there weren't pieces of tendon or fat when biting in.
The chorizo was also amazing - fragrant and perfectly grilled, not too fatty. I was actually a bit surprised at what it turned out to be - a bit like a polish dog? - because I was expecting a firmer spicy salami-like sausage like the chorizo you find in paella.
Our mains were a tenderloin and lamb chop. I thought the meat quality of both were good, but the seasoning was a bit hit and miss - some spots tasted really and some were a bit lacking in flavour. The tenderloin was a little bit scary because when we cut into it there was a LOT of reddish liquid - couldn't really tell how red it was though, until we shone a phone on it, because of the dim lighting. Anyway, the steak had to be slightly re-cooked.
Service/Environment: Service was fine - nothing particularly stands out. The decor of the restaurant is nice - gives you a South American Ranch feel. There were two things I thought which detracted a little from the experience. 1) the windows are full pane down to the floor types, but the inside of the restaurant is very dim, so when the cars go by, their headlights really shine right into your eyes. I think putting in some wood panels at the bottom would help. 2) This is true of many restaurants which use hard materials in their decor theme, but it was a tad loud and echoey inside.
In sum, It's a pretty good restaurant overall (7.5 or 8/10), and I'd definitely come back for the pies and sausage...wouldn't that be a great lunch for about 100 bucks?
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