Kitchen ****
Service ***
Setting ****
The Little Horse food scene, geographic center of the Buenos aires city, is moving forward at a steady pace. Hence the name of one of the recent openings in the neighborhood, Centera bistro located at the base of an elegant art deco building from the 1940s. Opens all day, so the possible experiences are several.
A good coffee with homemade pastry -the carrot cake is one of the hits-, a well-loaded sandwich for lunch, a dinner of small plates with a lot of seasonal vegetables, or a super weekend brunch on its wide sidewalk.
The kitchen is in charge of Fernando Golabeka low-profile chef but with a great career that includes restaurants with Michelin stars in Spain. That’s where they come from menu dishes such as socarrat rice, with blood sausage and aioli and Catalan cream, to which seasonal vegetables and fruits are added, providing freshness.
The menu of the night consists of small plates (small portions) and dishes (larger portions), a system widely installed in today’s restaurants, of which it is suggested to order 5 or 6 for two people. A good way to start is with liver pâté and beef tartare, two very well made classics. Among the hot dishes, the roasted carrot agnolotti with blue cheese stands out, subtle and tasty.
To take advantage of the seasonality of the proposal, it is best to add dishes with vegetables. Golabek works well with textures and layers of flavor, adding influences from the asian cuisine and of Middle East in dishes such as charred leeks (roasted over embers), with cashew and tahini sauce, and Shari, a delicious vegan dish with bok choi mushrooms and kimchi.
“When I think about a restaurant’s menu, I always start with the desserts,” says Golabek, so be sure to save some space. In addition to the crème brûlée, it has delicious and original options such as the creamy chocolate with miso toffee and Worcestershire sauce.
The interior is small, a little tight when it fills up, but the sidewalk is perfect to enjoy the coming spring.
