Santa Maria de Buen Ayre

Broadway Market
Hackney
London E8 4QJ
Locate on Google Maps
Tel. 020 7275 9900
www.buenayre.co.uk


There isn't anything better than a top-notch steak that's been properly grilled. Buen Ayre's customers know that and that's why it's hard to get a table at this Broadway Market hotspot.

Since it opened it has won praise from the food press, with the Independent calling it "the first authentic Argentine grill-restaurant in the country . . . " Well, I've never been to Argentina but I can say that the steaks I have had at Buen Ayre are among the best I've had, ever! They are grilled on a genuine Argentinean parilla (grill) that is situated right in the main dining room and then delivered straight to the table. The steaks themselves are buttery smooth, tender, and melt in the mouth while the smoky flavours imparted by the red hot coals invigorate and soothe your taste buds. I would go so far as to say that eating a steak at Buen Ayre is an erotic experience.

On a recent visit four of us spent £126 for a starter of crisps, peanuts and olives, four steaks, three bowls of chips, three salads, and drinks that did not even include a whole bottle of wine. If everything else was as good as the steaks I wouldn't mind paying £30 a head. But at these prices I want to be wowed by everything that appears on the table.

Unfortunately, once you move away from the steaks at Buen Ayre the disappointments begin. The first let down was the butter bean guarnacion (garnish) that comes with each steak. The beans we were served were mealy and not much care had been taken with their preparation.

Next was the rúcula y ajo (rocket and garlic) salad. At the prices this place is charging I would expect at least an interesting, expertly-prepared dressing - but what we were presented with was basically a bunch of leaves thrown into a bowl with garlic and lemon juice. It was OK - but not special, like the steaks.

The chips are another thing that let this restaurant down. They are cut thick, and served very fresh out of the fryer but have no flavour whatsoever. I felt like I was eating them just for the sake of it, because I was going to pay for them; not because I wanted to eat them! The least the chef could do would be to salt them just after cooking and before they leave the kitchen. By the time the chips get to the table they are too dry for salt to cling to them. Come on guys, this is basic chip physics!

I would still recommend you give Buen Ayre a try - but only for the meat, and only when you are feeling flush.

Opening Hours
Mondays to Fridays
From 6pm to 10.30pm
Saturdays & Sundays
From 12 Noon to 10.30pm

Oh! Cafe at Oxford House

Derbyshire Street
Bethnal Green
London E2 6HG
Locate on Google Maps.
Phone: 020 7739 9001

www.oxfordhouse.org.uk




The Oh! Cafe is a place I have been going to for about a year now. It serves as the canteen for Oxford House but is also open to the general public with seating for maybe 25 people. It's a good spot to grab a well-prepared, inexpensive and filling lunch. (Oxford House is a community organisation that was established in 1884 and is involved in a variety of youth, immigration, arts & community work.)

The cafe's specials board usually features dishes like curry, chilli con carne, and Moroccan lamb or chicken. The regular menu has a wide range of the usual jacket potatoes as well as panini. The mains are always delicious and consist of generous portions accompanied by a salad of fresh greens and cost £3.50. They also have a selection of tasty quiches that are priced at £1.80 a slice. Another favourite of mine is a selection of cold salads that are self served. These include lentil salad, potato salad, sweetcorn, beetroot, cole slaw and stuffed vine leaves among others. These are usually too cold but at £2.80 for a large plate, £2.00 for a medium, and £1.80 for a small one it's good value.

The only thing that lets this place down is the coffee. The guys who run this place are very nice but they can't pull a decent espresso to save their lives and they heat their milk way more than is necessary. You're just throwing your money away if you order coffee - it is undrinkable. This is definitely a place for tea.

Opening hours:
9-5 Monday to Friday
10-4 Saturdays

Why am I doing this?

I have been living in the East End of London for three years now and I often marvel at the quality and diversity of the restaurants, cafes, and markets that are practically at my doorstep. In the many other cities I have lived in there were usually only one or two places that I enjoyed frequenting that were within a short walk from my apartment and I often found myself taking journeys to other neighbourhoods far afield. But living in Bethnal Green I rarely have to leave this little village within a city to find a wide variety of foods. So through this blog I hope to chronicle my gastronomic adventures within Bethnal Green, Shoreditch, Broadway Market, London Fields, Victoria Park, Dalston, Hoxton and other areas that are nearby. Hopefully this blog will prove to be a useful resource to those who live in and visit this vibrant community. If you have any suggestions for places I might not know about by all means leave a comment.