Phone: (09) 378 0119
Cuisine: Argentinian barbecue
Rating: 7.5/10
Alas, the outdoor barbecue season looks to be over. I'm always overcome with a mild sense of grief, until I remember to seek the fire within, that is to say to start frequenting the places in our city where the cooking happens indoors over an open fire, in all weather.
Since Ponsonby Central opened in November last year, there's one eatery within its confines that has been smokin' hot from day one: El Sizzling Chorizo. It's an Argentinian barbecue house, and anyone who has been within a 100m radius will be familiar with the tempting aroma of meat cooking over their large open barbecue.
We managed to beat the dinner rush by mere minutes to secure three stools at the counter, where we settled in to bask in the warmth radiating from the pile of glowing embers. The aroma and sizzling of meat cooking drove us wild, and we were kept entertained by the convivial banter between the duo of Spanish-speaking, bandanna-wearing fire masters. Their job is a hot one and they keep well on top of raking the bed of glowing charcoal and arranging and rearranging the different hunks of meat to ensure each is cooked to succulent perfection.
To take care of our out-of-control salivation, we ordered some of the house-made chorizo, empanadas and barbecue potatoes to see us through before our mains were ready. We wolfed down the chorizo and revelled in their dry, crumbly texture packed with the flavours of wine, garlic, onions and smoke from the fire. Tender, buttery pastry encased the empanadas' soft filling of rich smoky meat, and the dish of potatoes was taken up a notch with a topping of mustard and flaked almonds, which was delightful.