Obelisco steaks its claim

Argentines pride themselves on the quality of their beef, Matt Hodges finds out why.

There aren't any flame-grilled burgers at Obelisco, the Argentina Pavilion's gourmet restaurant, where chefs frown on well-done steaks and view as a sin any move to weaken their imported beef's natural flavor.

Inside the restaurant's open-plan kitchen, salt-infused rib eyes and bloody tenderloins turn slowly over hot charcoals as executive chef Lin Yunchao, who spent 7 years in Argentina, keeps a hawk-like eye on the darkening meat.

"The most important thing I can tell you about our restaurant is that we import all of our beef from Argentina," he said. "Everything I cook is 100 per cent authentic, exactly as I was taught."

Argentines take their steak seriously, an attitude befitting one of the world's biggest per-capita consumers of beef. Its grass-fed cattle are famous for producing flavorsome meat. Over cooking it is just plain wrong. Adding too much sauce would be classed as bad table manners. When Argentines throw barbecues, it's either expensive tenderloin or cheap chorizo sausage, little in between.

So it was with some resistance that I managed to order a mouth-watering grilled rib-eye steak (255 yuan), even though it caused my street cred to plummet among the Argentine staff (I should have gone for the tenderloin, apparently).

Our party also tried the pan-fried salmon with butter sauce (145 yuan) and the Obelisco salad (60 yuan), made with prawn, endive, palm heart and avocado. The fish threatened to knock the steak off its pedestal, it was that good. As for the salad, somewhere along the way Lin forgot his own advice and attempted to drown it in an ocean of Thousand Island dressing.

One refreshing thing about the restaurant is its sophisticated dcor, comprising polished wooden furniture and half-crescent windows set in inlaid stone. The wait staff manage to lower the tone, in a fun way, by all dressing like Argentine football hero Lionel Messi.

Those with a sense of adventure can start their meal off with some blood sausage (35 yuan) or a spinach and cheese empanada (30 yuan). The latter, which vaguely resembles a Chinese jiaozi, or fried dumpling, is a popular fast food in Argentina that, for me, trumps its Chinese counterpart.

The chef also recommended the Provolone cheese (135 yuan), which is lightly melted on the barbecue with pepper and herbs, but I was rushing to get to the country's famous dulce de leche (75 yuan), a toffee-like, thick condensed milk served here with flan and caramel sauce. I have an uncompromising sweet tooth and was hooked instantly.

One thing I couldn't help noticing as we lunched was that most of the Chinese diners were eating spaghetti bolognaise or carbonara, which made me fear for their safety when Lin and the other pavilion staff cottoned on.

So it was with a sense of relief that I was informed pasta is the most widely consumed dish in Argentina, a nod to its colonized past and large Italian community.

Ice cream and pizza are also big parts of the national diet, and we're not talking Baskin Robbins or Papa Johns, but grandma's secret recipe-type alternatives; ones that make you go back for more and fill you with new taste sensations, rather than pangs of regret.

After braving the long lines, high humidity and occasional thunderstorms of the Expo, Obelisco is an oasis of calm. The food is not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

After dining, the pavilion offers a great opportunity to view one of its daily tango shows from a vantage point on the second floor (NBA star Luis Scola danced here in May), while drinking some local wines. The bar offers about 15 brands from wineries in Mendoza and Salta, two northern regions bordering the Andes. Mendoza produces some of the world's top grapes and 60 percent of the country's wine.

As not everyone can afford the Felipe Rutini Reserve (1,500 yuan a bottle), staff recommended the San Felipe Malbec (300 yuan a bottle; 60 yuan a glass) for its faint notes of strawberry and cherry. Malbec, now Argentina's flagship grape, was taken to Argentina by missionaries to use for mass after it was overlooked in its native France.

Among the whites, which are only sold by the bottle, the Bodega Colome Torrontes (177 yuan) offers hints of rose and jasmine, and pairs well with spicy side dishes, according to staff. Many of the wines here are not yet available at Chinese supermarkets.

Information

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