Food Review: Garufin - The Beaver

What springs to mind when you hear the words, ?Argentinian cuisine?? A tender chunk of steak accompanied by a large glass of bold red wine, serenaded by a Latin soundtrack and flamboyantly effusive waiters? I wonder if it might partly have been that my expectations were at fault, but that is not the offering of London?s newest Argentinian restaurant, tucked away in Holborn.

Garufin is owned by the restaurateurs who established Garufa in North London. So a central London venue represents a conscious attempt to enter a new market. Stepping inside from a very chilly London evening, the lighting is warm and welcoming, the dark wood furniture with black and white check floor tiles classically Latin in style. At street level the place is tiny, the bulk of the seating being in the basement. Downstairs, though, the d?cor seemed undecided on what exactly it was trying to be. Exposed brickwork, unapologetic metal air vents, bulbs with spiral filaments, and on each table a label-less metal food can filled with water and a floating tea light. As for the music, I?m not quite sure what it was ? too quiet to be any more than background noise but enough to be an intrusion precisely for its being indiscernible.

The manager was enthusiastic about his food ? clearly relishing the opportunity to offer his clientele Argentinian with a twist. Had we not had his guidance, though, the menu would have been confusing to navigate, it being unclear what were the starters, mains and sides. As it turned out, adopting a ?tapas style? approach is definitely the way to eat here, and we saw plenty of large groups as well as couples dipping into a range of offerings.

We started with two empanadas ? filled pastry parcels. One was stuffed with creamy sweet corn and goat?s cheese, the pastry crisp and delicate. The other filling offered an unusual complement of scallops and olives, surprisingly and deliciously robust.

The next dish we shared was Locro, a pumpkin, pork, beef and chorizo stew in a lidded pot presented on a wooden block. Somewhat unexpectedly, our pot was the size of a cappuccino mug so we had only a few mouthfuls each. The meat was all tasty, as was the sweet corn, even if that was an unanticipated reappearance. Unfortunately the flavour of the pumpkin sauce was unable to compete with the strength of the other ingredients, and more sadly, the stew was tepid to cold. Had it been sizzling (as I assume it was meant to be), quite probably the dish would have come alive.

Having thought the Locro would be a ?main? course, we readjusted our expectations for the next dishes. The rib eye steak arrived with two vegetable ?sides?, the presentation (not only in style of plates used but also in arrangement of the food and garnishes) distinctly, unexpectedly Asian. Our beef rested in red pepper sauce and was topped with crumbled black pudding and sprouting fennel. The steak was standard, which seemed a shame given the reputation of Argentinian beef. Here, as with the pumpkin sauce in the Locro, the red pepper flavour was indistinct beyond tasting smoky, though that sensation nonetheless complemented beautifully the aniseed-y fennel and sweetly salty black pudding. My friend said she was even inspired to begin sprouting her own fennel seeds on a paper towel. The vegetable dishes were a delicious combination of smoky mushrooms balanced by sweet potato, and the surprise hit of the evening, ?humita and cabra?, a dish of grated creamed sweet corn, sweet potato, goats cheese and basil oil. This was the ultimate in winter comfort food ? textured, creamy and flavoursome.

Intrigued by the enigmatic promise of a dessert of dulce de leche ?served in all its ways? we were left a little unsure of exactly what that meant, even after having finished the dish. The second dessert of salted dulce de leche, cinnamon and chocolate ice cream scoops was fantastic; it was only a shame that it was all melting before it arrived at our table. We?d waited almost an hour between main and dessert, apparently forgotten by the waiters (unless this was part of the laid-back Latin experience). Luckily my friend and I had a great deal of news to catch up on, accompanied by a bottle of the house red.

We left feeling that Garufin has potential. With greater attention to detail in presentation and service, our evening would have been filled with the Latin energy and flavour such a place should be capable of.

8b Lamb?s Conduit Passage, WC1R 4RG

020 7430 9073

Hours?Mon-Fri 9am-3pm & 5pm-10.30pm, Sat 5pm-10.30pm

Cuisine Argentinian

Average spend??15-25

Meals?Lunch, dinner

Reservations?No

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Source: http://thebeaveronline.co.uk/2013/01/17/food-review-garufin/

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