Asador
You will adore asador for more than its steaks
Overgaden Neden Vandet 17
1414 Cph K
Open Mon-Sun 17.30-24.00
Kitchen open Sun-Thu 17.30-21.30 & Fri- Sat: 17.30-22.30
Starters: 75-98kr, Grill menu: 145-540kr, set menus: 295, 365 & 425kr
Apparently you can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can sure gage a restaurant by the quality of the steak it serves. Argentine cuisine may not enjoy the same level of limelight as those of other Latin American countries, but upon visiting Asador – or ‘The Grill’ – it’s tricky to understand why.
Asador – partner restaurant of Fuego on Holbergsgade – is neatly stashed away off the canal on Overgaden Neden Vandet. Approaching it, the building burns with indiscriminate charm. From the flame that flickers up the front wall through to the fired ceramic floor tiles and the wall-lining cabinets of deep red Malbec, you are immediately put in touch with the heartiness of Argentine cooking. The main restaurant, adorned with canvases of Gauchos and their cattle, is intimate yet far from claustrophobic. With a function room, cosy backroom and heated outdoor porch, it is deceptively sizeable – like Narnia’s expanse has actually been cropped to fit inside a wardrobe.
It was a Wednesday night and, although quiet, the place oozed harmony. We were greeted and seated quick smart by our waiter for the evening, Carlos – a Costa Rican – who brimmed with a boyish enthusiasm that could have only come from someone bound to a love of food since birth. The staff was similarly cosmopolitan though I was a bit dismayed to not encounter anyone from the homeland, however passionate and bilingual they all were.
So what to make of the extensive menu? The ‘De La Parrilla’ (from the grill) section is the backbone of the a la carte; various Aberdeen Angus steaks are cropped and cooked to the customers’ specifications. Its appeal is broader than meat though: fish, shellfish, vegetarian options, as well as set menu options if you’re a large group or come undone on the decision front.
Our starters were swift in coming. I’d been recommended the ‘Picada Asador’, a selection of Argentine specialities including flavoursome Provelone fried cheese and an Empanada, an incredible miniature Cornish Pasty-like pastry filed with beef, onion, cumin and paprika; my friend opted for Fois Gras served with handmade brioche. Dazzling and delicious yes; pretentious no. The full-bodied and aromatic Enrique Foster Malbec harmonised well with these delicate flavours. Argentine wine production has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and this specially-imported Malbec would give any Californian vintage a run for its money.
‘Parrillada Argentina’ (mixed grill) comprised our mains. A rustic platter of ribeye and tenderloin bang-on medium-rare, sticky sweet bread and a homemade chorizo sausage stacked with a level of flavour surely unattainable even for a syringe-wielding Heston Blumenthal. Around this centrepiece were placed tapasesque side-dishes of baked parsnip and carrot with goats’ cheese, garlic mushrooms, smoked potatoes wrapped in bacon and a chargrilled medley of tangy vegetables. These constituted but a half of the whole pic ‘n’ mix side-dish selection and accompanied the tender meat perfectly. Lending an extra oomph was the chimichurri sauce. Made with herbs, lemon juice, oil and with a smattering of chilli, this restrainedly feisty sidekick cranked the taste up a notch, as well as providing that unshakable Latin American edge.
The meal was flavour, substance and piquancy all in one, a glorious mid-point of post-eating sensations: neither fully bursting at the seams nor having to fend off an oral inferno. Like some famished diplomat, it seems Argentina has managed to retain the robust essence of the early European settlers whilst shaking hands with its geographical neighbours.
After the savoury side, little room was left for sweet. As alluring as the crème brulee or the pineapple cheesecake sounded, two fantastic courses had taken a physical grip just as the general style here had taken a mental one. Any restaurant worth its salt can offer sophistication and social informality in equal weight as well as demonstrating a simple nous of food, its provenance, and the method of cooking that’s going to result in the most flavour (in this case the slow-heating charcoal grill).
And it’s for these factors too that Asador should be rated in terms greater than a standalone – albeit expertly-done – steak.
Simon Cooper
