Viva La Parrilla Argentina

Sydney’s beloved Argentinian eatery Porteño is set to reopen today! It temporarily closed its doors in January after a fire in the exhaust system above their famous open grill did some pretty bad damage to the Cleveland Street building.

With the blaze behind them, the tattooed team is back on track with a new custom designed charcoal parrilla (pronounced pa-rri-sha), which will be more closed in than their previous one.

“It will be the only one in town,” the restaurant’s owner Elvis Abrahanowicz says. Which is what makes this restaurant my home away from home (having been to Argentina myself!)

Sadly they lost the beautiful stained cut glass wall behind the bar, which was a standout feature, but at least they are back and have some new exciting additions to their menu to make up for it.

On Instagram they posted a picture showcasing one of their new dishes featuring grilled queso fresco, seasonal vegetables and chimichurri. “The meat’s still the same,” Abrahanowicz says. “And yes, we’re keeping the Brussels sprouts.” Thank god.

Keep a listen out for their new project Continental Deli Bar Bistro set to open in a couple of months in Newtown.

Boy, all this meat and Argentina talk makes me think fondly on my time there back in January and February this year. The tannins of malbec wine on my tongue, the juicy little chorizos on crusty white baguette and shoestring French fries with every meal… hmmm I really do miss you Argentina!

I hope one day you all get the opportunity to travel to the land of wine, meat, beautiful people and never ending parties.

In the mean time, here are my parrilla highlights from the land I like to call my second home!

I just hope you're not hungry...