Buenos Aires, Herne Bay

A steak is as personal a thing as a pair of jeans, or a good suit. Everyone has their own idea of what constitutes the perfect one, and will naturally hold their point of view to be the 'right' one. I am no exception.

To me, Buenos Aires is to bovine meat as Savile Row is to fine cloth. They really know their meat, something that is evident from the broad selection on offer - how many Auckland restaurants actually offer flank steak? How many of those can advise you on how it should be served? After countless overpriced, dull steaks in the past couple of years, countless choices of 'sirloin, scotch fillet, eye fillet', countless recitations of 'that's a bit north of medium, don't you think?', Buenos Aires is a breath of fresh, smoky, beefy air.

And so to the food. A starter of sweetbreads for me, lightly crisped on the outside, tender and flavoursome within. Others went for a frankly ludicrous starter of two enormous sausages, one morcilla-style and one chorizo, devastatingly delicious but perhaps somewhat oversized. Steaks arrived, clearly cut from some giant breed of cow and each one a perfect ten according to its owner, regardless of cuisson. My flank steak, for which I'd been hankering for a while, was a terrific slab of perfectly-cooked, perfectly seasoned beef. Particularly impressive was the gentle suggestion from our waiter that, rather than rare, I should prefer this medium, as it's a rather chewy cut - this was spot on.

The wine list is brief, to say the least, but with unbelievably good Argentinean malbecs at prices like that, you don't need more than a couple. All in all, this was a visit that everyone involved has been talking about excitedly since we went, and I for one have been looking for occasions to go back - that amazing flank steak is calling.

It's noisy and lively, with the smell of the grill permeating everything and some of the best beef you'll have in this city. Service is excellent, knowledgeable and approachable, and you'll leave wanting to come back - can't ask for much more, can you?

Buenos Aires Restaurant Woodfire Grill
234 Jervois Road
Herne Bay

+64 (0) 9 360 0678
www.buenosairesrestaurant.co.nz