A Perfect Argentinean Coffee and Wine Bar near Spitalfields

Moo! Grill an Argentinian coffee and wine bar serving Lomitos and empanadas. The concept is from Cordoba, where the Lomitos (steak sandwich) is very popular. A year and a couple months in the location, serving excellent Argentinian steaks, beer, and of course wine, definitely a unique place.

The Place

Inside

I bump into this place after reading a couple reviews. Arrived with a couple friends and immediately I felt like home, the service is perfect, obviously it helps speaking in Spanish but Moo! Makes sure everyone is treated like part of the family, is more like you’re in a friend’s house having drinks and a bbq.

Menu

I had a late lunch that day, and wasn’t going to eat too much until I saw the menu, I wanted to try everything as usual! And the prices are really accessible. So I went mental, basically I order everything that caught my eye and attention. Empanadas checked, one with beef the other humitas checked. Then I went for a Beef Lomito checked, and a Choripan checked. Two huge and tasty sandwiches in toasted ciabatta with salad, sauces, and other trimmings, in the case of the Lomito the ham, the melted cheese, and the egg was the perfect company for the tasty Argentinean beef. While the Choripan with roasted peppers completed the scene.

Empanadas

Steak Sandwich

Choripan

The food was amazing period. To refresh the evening Quilmes, and some Argentinean wines gave the extra pleasure for the night. If you want to try something more substantial, you can go for any of their steaks, Bife de Lomo, Bife de Chorizo, the latter my favourite.

I will be returning regularly to Moo! To be honest is a no brainer, good food, nice beers, excellent wines, centrally located, friendly service, and reasonable prices. Too bad the owner is not a Boca fan, but hey nobody is perfect. Che boludo que esperas para ir!

Argentina reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Finale”.

Soup Nazi: She published my recipes. I had to close the store, move to Argentina. She ruined my business!

Elaine: Soup's not all that good anyway.

Soup Nazi: What did you say?

Moo! Grill

T: 020 7377 9276

Argentinean Steaks, Coffee and Wine Bar

Borough: Tower Hamlets

Area: Spitalfields
Twitter: MooGrill

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Burger Wars Episode XXIV: Tango Burger

I came back to Gaucho with some colleagues from work. So we decided to share a couple dishes but I couldn’t resist trying the burger this time. We opened the night having empanadas, grilled provoleta cheese, a sausage platter (with Argentinean chorizo, morcilla or black pudding, chorizo picante, pinchos, and a romero pepper), lots humitas, and the Gaucho sampler (Lomo, Chorizo, Ancho, and Cuadril cuts for 1200 gms of meat).

Sausage platter

Grilled Provoleta

The sausage platter was good, the humitas excellent, the provoleta cheese not quite good, have had better ones, and the sampler was fine, juicy cuts, and good standard for England where is quite difficult to find good stakehouse.

Gaucho Sampler 

Humitas

But I try not to indulge myself too much this time with all that food as I wanted to try the burger, yes the Gaucho burger, a blend of Lomo, Chorizo, Ancho, and Cuadril, so basically was the sampler in a bun. The burger comes with a tomato, onion and chipotle chutney, Dansglad cheddar cheese, and Malbec mustard mayo, finally I decided to add a bacon into the combination.

The Gaucho Burger

Got my burger with a huge expectation, is it as good as the samplers I have tried in the past? The burger came stand alone so if you want chips you have to order them as a side.

The verdict, not good at all, I ordered medium rare and got it well done, the patty didn’t have any flavour at all to be honest, I don’t know if it was because it was overcooked or actually the blend is not appropriate for a burger, no moist or juices, the bacon was crunchy but disappointing, the cheddar was almost missing in action, to be completely honest it was a huge disaster.

The damage, 24 quids the burger, chips and a beer, the burger by itself is 16 quids.

The conclusion, Gaucho is a no go for burgers, if I were them I will take it out of the menu, keep on the safe side with the steaks, the sausage platter, and add as many humitas as you want. Low 5 in my scale for the Argentinian stakehouse.

This overcook experience reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Shower Head” where Jerry is trying to convince Uncle Leo to leave his girlfriend.

Uncle Leo: Ah, she's a real tiger.

Jerry: I don't know how you do it.

Uncle Leo: What?

Jerry: A man like you, limiting yourself to one woman, I don't know. But it's none of my business.

Uncle Leo: What are you talking about?

Jerry: Well...

Uncle Leo: Look at this, I told them medium rare, it's medium.

Jerry: Hey, it happens.

Uncle Leo: I bet that cook is an anti-Semite.

Jerry: He has no idea who you are.

Uncle Leo: They don't just overcook a hamburger, Jerry.

Jerry: All right. Anyway, the point I was making before Goerbbles made your hamburger is a man like you could be dating women twenty years younger. Come on Uncle Leo, I've seen the way women look at you. When's the last time you looked in a mirror? You're an Adonis! You've got beautiful features, lovely skin, you're in the prime of your life here, you should be swinging. If I were you I'd tell this Lydia character, "It's been real" move back into that bachelor pad and put out a sign; Open for business.

Uncle Leo: Believe me, I thought about it. But she is so perfect in every way, I can't see a flaw.

Jerry: Well, keep looking.

Un Boliche in London

My fascination for Argentinean culture comes from my dad. He lived in Argentina and the influence of those years was huge on him. I remember my childhood having BBQ in our garden almost every weekend, and my dad used to invite all his musician friends in order to sing his beloved tangos.

Cass Committee to investigate the place

Probably the first song I learnt wasn’t a children one or a lullabie, it was “Un Boliche”, the masterpiece of Carlos Acuña and Tito Cabano. Searching for places in London with live music I found Santa Maria del Sur. An Argentinean stakehouse in Battersea, showing every other Monday South American artists playing Tangos, Bossa Nova, or Latin folk music.

Bandoneon night

Immediately, I organised a dinner in the place with a couple friends. I ordered empanadas as starter (traditional Argentinean pasties), and a Parrillada this Argentinean mixed grill is to share, and brings sirloin, fillet, sausages, black pudding, and provolone cheese. All the meat is imported from Argentina, and cook to perfection in a charcoal grill.

Parrilla Time

The food was amazing, and the music superb, nothing like a Bandoneon playing your favourite tangos, with good wine, Quilmes beer, and excellent steak. I strongly recommend it as a Latin American, If you like steak this is the place to go, you can also check them in Gordon Ramsay’s F Word season 5 where they compete and won the best American restaurant for the F World’s Best Local Restaurant, and also reached semi finals.

Parrillero in action. Ernesto probably enjoying success after his excellent appearance in Gordon Ramsay's F Word

Argentina reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Finale”.

Hoyt: Call Yev Kassem to the stand.

Bailiff: Call Yev Kassem.

Jerry: Who?

Elaine: The Soup Nazi!

Chiles: Soup Nazi? You people have a little pet name for everybody.

Hoyt: State your name.

Soup Nazi: Yev Kassem.

Hoyt: Could you spell that?

Soup Nazi: No! Next question.

Hoyt: How do you know the defendants?

Soup Nazi: They used to come to my restaurant.

Soup Nazi: But the idiot clowns did not know how to order. I banned that one, the woman for a year. Then one day, she came back.

Soup Nazi: She published my recipes. I had to close the store, move to Argentina. She ruined my business!

Elaine: Soup's not all that good anyway.

Soup Nazi: What did you say?


Santa Maria del Sur
T: 020 7622 2088
Argentinean Steakhouse
Borough: Wandsworth
Area: Battersea
Twitter: StaMariadelSur

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Burger Wars Episode XIX: The Argentinian Padawan

My search finally took me to El Gaucho. A cold, overcast, winter Saturday afternoon I made my way into Chelsea farmers market to this Argentinian steakhouse. According to the waiter, the restaurant was the first steakhouse in London. All the meat imported from Argentina, and properly cook is just a carnivore’s heaven as they describe.

Chelsea Farmers Market

The Place

I saw the menu and spotted a couple things I had to try, first a Provoleta, grilled provolone cheese with olive oil and oregano, then a Morcilla, which is basically chargrilled black pudding, and to close the starters, an Empanada Argentina, home made pasties filled in this case with chicken.

Beef Cuts

Provoleta Cheese

Empanada and Morcilla

However, my task was far from trying only entrees, so I asked for their burgers menu, three options to choose, a few minutes later I went for the A Caballo Burger, wich comes with eggs, bacon, and fries. In addition, to join all that tasty food a cold Quilmes beer.

The Burger

A Cold Quilmes

The verdict, good meat, tender, excellent flavour, cooked medium rare as asked, the bacon was a little bit too salty for me, I think that ruined the experience. The provoleta is just the best one I’ve ever had period… and the empanada was excellent as well.

The damage, 17 quids for the burger, the fries, and the Quilmes.

The conclusion, Good burger but not great again, probably it would have been different without the bacon. I will give them a 7, good portions, good taste, but small problems with the bacon incident. I will definitely come back to the place but probably just for the Provoleta cheese.

This bacon incident reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Blood” where George wants to combine sex with eating.

Jerry: Didn't go for it, huh?

George: No.

Jerry: So, she didn't appreciate the erotic qualities of the salted cured meats?

George: She tolerated the strawberries and the chocolate sauce, but eh, it's not a meal, you know? Food and sex, those are my two passions. It's only natural to combine them.

Jerry: Natural? Sex is about love between a man and a woman, not a man and a sandwich.

George: Jerry, I'm not suggesting getting rid of the girl. She's integral.

Jerry: Maybe instead of trying to satisfy two of your needs, how about satisfying one of somebody else's.