San Telmo

14 Meyers Place
Melbourne
VIC 3000

On turning into Myers Place it's hard to miss San Telmo, with the name emblazoned on the chimney running up the front of the building it is housed in. We had family in town who were in the mood for some South American meat, and this was our target for the evening...

Immediately inside on the left is  the open kitchen with the imported 2.5 meter parrilla charcoal grill, 'hand made by Pirincho', and a bunch of busy chefs.

When we visited fairly early on a mid week evening there was already quite a buzz about the place, with plenty of tables filled. We were shown to our table which featured a leather sofa against a wall appointed with cow hides,along with more conventional wooden chairs. The fit out merged modern Melbourne and Argentinian themes effortlessly to create a chic feel. 

With a little help from the friendly waitresses we figured out a bunch of dishes to share, kicking off with some empanadaa, traditional Argentine fried pastries. The red wine braised beef, almond and raisin went down well down while the silverbeet, leek and bechamel version I tried was a great combination in a great shell.

The fried broccoli with pecorino was one of the highlights of the meal tasting as good as it looks below, which a great crunch to boot.

We were brought some Provoleta, or fried provolone cheese by mistake, but were given it to try on the house, and it was good to even a non-cheese fan.

The humita, polenta, corn and basil chips which came with chipotle mayonnaise were another hit.

The "Mejilla de Cerdo" or braised berkshire pork jowl with crackling was succulent and very sweet.

The Cuadril de cordero, a pasture fed lamb rump spiced with coriander and chipotle was another perfectly prepared winner, succulent and subtly flavoured.

The Tira de asado, O’Connor premium pasture fed beef short ribs were a little on the fatty side for my taste, ending up with an almost lamby flavour, rather than beef.

The 'Papas' - baby potatoes came with plenty of herb butter and less of the slow cooked onion and slid down easily.

The coal roasted pumpkin with feta and a caper and raisin vinaigrette or the more succinct 'Zapallo' was another hit around our table....

...as were the Zanahorias, burnt carrots with hazelnuts, thyme and garlic goats curd.

The bill for four came in at around $250 including a drink or two each. We all left well satisfied with our meals, both in terms of flavour and sustenance. The service was friendly and attentive all evening. Meat heavy menu's aren't our normal staple, but we may head back, if we do fancy more of that while we are in town.



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Nuevo Latino Los Rodriguez, West Footscray

553 Barkly Street
West Footscray
Vic 3012

We'd walked past Nuevo Latino (facebook) a few weeks ago, and after checking out Kenny's review decided we had to pay a visit. The large windows give  a good view inside, but there isn't much to mark the name.

The fit out inside mixes a polished concrete floor and eclectic furniture with many homely and south American touches. Even with only a few diners present when we arrived at around 7:30 on a Saturday there was a nice atmosphere, and as it filled up and the band kicked off it built up quite a buzz.

We were given a warm welcome by Jose Rodriguez, part of the family behind the venue as well as a couple of other members of the team. While checking out the menu we grabbed a couple of beers, an Estrella from Spain and my first Quilmes from Argentina which showed it's Germanic origins.

We started by ordering a few of the smaller dishes, the first of which to arrive were two croquettes moros y cristianos, the crispy coating filled with a rice and bean mix which provided a satisfying earthy flavour and was nicely complimented by the mint and yoghurt dressing.

Next up were the photogenic garlic king prawns with Aiguaste. The grilled crustaceans were fantastic and the 'Pepitas Pesto' a Salvadoran cuisine made from ground (pumpkin seeds) was a great addition which we mopped up with the bread that arrived at just the right time.

We hit the menu again and we tried the Yuka chips (a first for us) which had a flavour somewhere between parsnip and potato and produced perfect fries, with a crunchy skin and soft interior and were served with a moreish spicy salsa.

We'd tried to order the grilled corn kernels the first time around, and made sure we got some the second time around. The better half is a corn connoisseur and loved the dish, high praise indeed!

We planned to have a main each, but they came separately, so we shared both. 'My' main was the tamale, steamed stuffed corn leaves, made to Mum's own recipe by her in the kitchen. The origins of the dish go back over five hundred years to pre-columbian times in south america, and are made with a corn dough similar to polenta with added chilli, spices nuts and chicken in this case. These were another new dish for us and we both enjoyed with the accompanying salsa and picked coleslaw.

Last up was the other main plate, pupusaw a Salvadorian speciality of corn tortilla filled with quesillo soft cheese which was happily lighter than I expected and came with great re-fried beans, salsa and pickled veggies.

All evening the service and team were friendly, Jose and the waiters chatted to us and everyone in the room. The band played creating a great atmosphere without overriding the dining experience. There are live acts every Saturday. The bill including five beers came in at $98, which given the amount we ate seemed like good value. We really enjoyed our evening at Nuevo Latino, and can't wait to head back to West Footscray to try out more of the menu!

 The menu doesn't seem to be online so here is my snap of it.