Surry Hills meets Palermo Soho – the twin neighbourhoods of Sydney and Buenos Aires – over steak and malbec at the long marble bar at Porteño. The soundtrack steers clear of tango but there’s a retro, sepia-toned glow over parquetry and chequerboard tiles, and charming waitstaff in black waistcoats, bow ties and white muscle shirts channel a Porteño vibe. There’s theatre, too, in the holy trinity of kitchen heat positioned centrestage – whole cauliflower smouldering in the wood-fired oven, short ribs smoking on the parilla, a suckling pig on the asador. Plates are shared and flavours robust, the likes of pickled daikon spicing charred octopus; aged rib-eye sliced atop salty, garlicky rice; sirloin with house-made chimichurri, jalapeño mayo and mustard. The stand-out dishes, though, are just as likely to feature vegetables: wood-fired zucchini with ricotta, eggplant cooked over embers until molten, and moreish deep-fried Brussels sprouts doused in vincotto and mustard. The savoury-leaning wine list follows suit, featuring a cracking malbec collection, though too few by the glass. Finish with the dulce de leche flan, a sweet, simple taste of BA.
Phone:
(02) 8399 1440
Website:
Bookings:
Bookings recommended
Features:
Licensed
Bar
Vegetarian-friendly
Wheelchair access
Accepted card types:
American Express
Eftpos
MasterCard
Visa
Chefs:
Elvis Abrahanowicz & Ben Milgate
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Our guide gives a yearly snapshot at the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national Top 50.
