I usually hold off reviewing a place in its first couple of weeks, every restaurant deserves time to settle before judgement. I'm making an exception for this one, because the start was that solid.
I was lucky enough to be invited along to the soft launch as well as the grand opening last week. They've been a proper hit in Melbourne for a while now, so I went in curious rather than convinced. I left converted.
First impressions matter and this place delivers them in full. It's a stunning room, with a great view of the kitchen. Inside it's warm and cosy, low lit, a beautiful space to settle in.
We started with oysters, a clean, briny way to ease in before the kitchen got serious. The beef empanada was solid. Nothing reinvented here, but I will never say no to a good empanada, and this one did exactly what it needed to.
The kingfish ceviche was the early standout. Citrus marinade, chili, that tiger's milk doing its job properly. Bright, sharp, well balanced. A dish that wakes your palate up for what's coming.
Then the morcilla. Honestly, my favourite of the night. Intensely savoury, earthy, richly spiced, and it melted in the mouth in a way that good blood sausage should but rarely does this well.
The solomillo was the main event and it earned that billing. Cooked over open fire, smoky, earthy, properly tender. This is what a parrilla is meant to taste like. Papas and lechuga rounded things out nicely, simple and well executed rather than trying to compete with the steak.
Flan to finish, dulce de leche doing the heavy lifting with that salted peanut praline for crunch. A good, comforting way to close.
The staff were warm and genuinely excited to be part of this opening. That energy is hard to fake and it showed, the whole night moved at an easy, unrushed pace.
@santelmobrisbane is the real deal. I'd go back for the morcilla alone, but the steak is the reason you bring people with you.