Santa Maria del Sur

We have lived in our flat for two years, and this is just around the corner, but we have never been there. I’m not sure why. We have both heard good things about it, and read the menu and thought it looked good. I guess we are a bit spoilt, as we tend to go to Tom Ilic if we are treating ourselves, and Le Pot Lyonnais or Bombay Bicycle if we want something cheap and cheerful, all of which are nearly as close.

Last night however, we decided to give it a go. It was pretty busy when we walked in at about 8 pm, even though there was an England match on. We turned our noses up at the offered table for two, which was right between the waiters station and the kitchen, and luckily they were happy for us to have a bigger table that was slightly more out of the way.

Wanting to try as much of what they offered as possible we shared a starter and then went for a mixed grill. The starter was cheese and spinach empanadas, which were hot, crispy and not too greasy. The cheese was on the verge of being too salty, but it just stayed on the right side. A good start.

The mixed grill consisted of sirloin steak, cooked rare as requested, sausage, black pudding, mushroom with pesto and provolone cheese. It all arrived on a sizzling baby grill, which had charcoal underneath (I think) to keep it hot. This worked well for everything except the steak, which continued to cook and therefore some of it was a bit more well done than we would have chosen.

The steak was tender, and well flavoured. I’m not normally a fan of Argentinean steak, as I find it too soft, but this I liked. The sausage was powerfully spiced, in a good way, and the black pudding had a great flavour, but was a bit softly textured for me. The cheese was great in a way that only melted warm cheese can be!

The side orders were a bit disappointing. Chips were crisp and piping hot when the arrived, but by the time we got the ordered mayonnaise to eat with them they weren’t quite so hot. The rocket and garlic salad had a large amount of raw garlic on it, and no other dressing, which wasn’t really to our taste.

With a bottle of Norton Malbec, which we have drunk quite a bit at home too, the bill came to £70. For this money we could go to Tom Ilic, and even though we enjoyed most of the food here I know which I would choose.