Bario Chino on Saturday

So I ventured out to the little known Chinatown in Buenos Aires on Saturday. It was indeed tiny, only 2-3 blocks with a couple of restaurants, grocery stores, and other small shops selling miscellaneous stuff. Me and my colleagues just wandered around and had lunch at 'Lai Lai', the food was quite oily, but still... it was good to have something other than steaks and empanadas. Then I got myself some 'oriental' snacks such as cup noodles, milk tea, sushi rolls, and sweet congee, etc... Believe it or not, the supermarkets actually carry alot of stuff from Korea and Japan, I recognize alot of brands I'm used to getting back at home. Anyway, depends on how long I'll have to stay in Argentina, I might go back for more. Bario Chino is a bit far from my hotel, and it is such a hassle to get around here if you can't speak espanol. So far, my spanish vocabs are only limited to food items... That is such a shame consider I took one year of spanish in junior high. 

Chila on Thursday

An upscale restaurant near the hotel, expensive for the amount of food you get. 

Clockwise from top left: starter on the restraurant, deer loin (my first time having deer meat, it was 

delish!), black risotto with shrimp, mussels, scallops, and lumpo roe (for the money I was paying, 

I would've expected more than 2 shrimps, oh well...), filet of sole with tripe juice (couldn't really 

taste the tripe juice, fish was alright, nothing to write home about).

Verdict: The deer loin is the winner here, I never had game before, so it was something different. 

The risotto was done right but lacks in seafood. The ambiance of the restaurant was excellent, 

but price was steep.

International Progressive Cuisine

Went to La Vineria de Gualterio Bolivar for chow last night. The type of food served at this restaurant & bar(which was featured in Time Out Buenos Aires 2008) is categorized as international progressive, that's the first time I heard such a fancy term for food. We had the signature tasting menu which composed of 11 small plates(7 appetizers, 2 main courses, 2 desserts), we also got 2 bottles of agua sin gas(water without gas) and 2 bottles of reds (malbec & cabernet sauvignon), all for $140 Argentinian pesos per person (that's less than $50USD). Even though the portions were alot smaller than the tapas I'm used to in NYC, but boy were they excellent. Each dish had its own unique flair to it and they were all so beautifully presented. I give the meal 5 stars in terms of taste, presentation, creativity/originality, and the use of ingredients, on top of great service and ambiance. The head chef of the restaurant Alejandro Digilio is my new idol in the world of culinary arts. You can tell he puts alot of heart into his food, I would've chatted with him if my spanish wasn't so broke. Anyway, I just cannot recommend the dining experience @ this place enough. Whoever has a chance to visit Buenos Aires should definitely give this restaurant a try. 

Lots of beef = Indigestion

Since Argentina is the cattle capital of the world, beef makes up 80% of people's diet. 3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you just can't escape it. I'm not a picky eater myself, as long as it tastes good, I can pretty much eat anything... So last night, we went to this restaurant next to the hotel. Thank god we had someone who speaks spanish, so ordering wasn't a PITA. Let's see...we ordered some appetizers including empanadas and grilled kidneys(Yuck...), steaks(Duh...), and wine(red of course to go with the steak...). I had the filet mignon, I was in absolute disbelief when it showed up. Are you f$cking kidding me? That cut of meat has gotta be at least 20OZ, I've never seen that big cut of steak in my life before. But oh boy, was it good, so juicy and flavorful, done medium just the way I like it. And the red wine Malbec is so easy to drink, I think I'll bring a couple of bottles home. The whole meal was only $60 pesos, that's like less than $20USD. I can't even get a bottle of wine for that price in a NYC restaurant, forget about a good cut of steak... Man, this job is spoiling my pallet BIG TIME. Too bad my waist is not appreciating my efforts. Guess you just can't have the best of both worlds.