Narda Lepes’ favorite childhood dishes were the Supreme Maryland and the escalope al Marsala with creamed potatoes. Creating updated versions of these and other endangered Buenos Aires classics had been an obsession for her for years and, finally, at Lokanta, she had the pleasure of giving them her place. These dishes are the product of a sum of immigrations, Spanish and Italian at the head, but also many others; That is why she added fresh dishes to Narda’s proposal, with a predominance of vegetables and legumes, typical of Mediterranean cuisine. This is also where the name comes from: in Turkey it is called lokanta, a restaurant on the go where you can stop for a while to eat something delicious, a concept that is reproduced throughout the Mediterranean.
The space is spacious, bright, familiar. There are plates and small plates to share (very fresh Niçoise salad, Greek salad with authentic feta cheese, fritters, phyllo dough tarts); a daily lunch menu with a super balanced plate with grains, legumes, raw and cooked vegetables and protein; a sandwich bar (including crumb sandwiches, from the classic ham and cheese to the potato, egg and tomato, a bomb); a Wachines menu for the boys; and a selection of cakes (the Greek Portolakopita, with phyllo dough, oranges, yogurt and olive oil) and delicious desserts (chocolotate mousse, with hazelnuts and a heart of dulce de leche, Narda’s mother’s recipe).
For the Buenos Aires classics, the entire kitchen team contributed family recipes, even Lucila Rodríguez’s grandmother, the head chef, went to show them how she made the rolled matambre and cannelloni. Tests and more tests were carried out until the final versions were reached, including the vitel toné, perfect. What took the longest was the Supreme Maryland: good chicken, good frying, pie potatoes but not that much, very creamy mashed corn (closer to a humita) and a Creole banana salad, a delight that also brings freshness to the dish.
