Restaurant Centauro — Restaurant in Mendoza

The food was very good. There was a more-than-gentle air of pretentiousness from the start, which for me cannot make up for good, even excellent food. Perhaps due to the Michelin mention but alas.

I made a reservation in Spanish, listed my allergies in Spanish, and greeted the staff in Spanish… because I speak Spanish (surprise!). I was quickly responded to by the host in English, given an English-speaking waiter, a menu in English, and put in a predominantly English-speaking section of the restaurant. About 10 minutes after I’d already sat down, I also got a WhatsApp message from staff (in English) to confirm the reservation, to which I responded (in Spanish) that I was already at the table with my waiter, Dante, and that I had already begun ordering food. At one point, a very kind waiter, Guillermo, came to clear my table and asked if I spoke Spanish, and I said of course. At that point I could tell that someone must have let the staff know, and the rest of the service proceeded a bit awkwardly and clunky back-and-forth in English and Spanish. I think this could have been avoided by simply asking me which language I would prefer in the beginning instead of assuming I needed everything to be in English.

That said, the food was delicious. First came a nice surprise— a tomato welcome snack with several other ingredients I can’t remember. I loved these. So sweet and juicy and a bit spicy. 10 out of 10. I started with the Kaleidoscope, a carrot and lemongrass based cocktail. Woah.. 10 of 10, and it had some powdered carrot dust on the exterior, so creative. For starters I had the bread and the bao. This was another odd moment— I was asked if I knew that the bao was bread, and hence that I was ordering types of bread dishes. I said I knew, and I would still like the dishes I ordered. That interaction was so odd. Making recommendations is fine, but unsolicited education on the dishes — as if I don’t know what the ingredients are (on an English menu at that) — gives pretentious. The bread came without the olive oil listed on the menu, but it did come with some black garlic butter which was incredible. 8 out of 10. The bao was also very good, with peach and gochujang. 10 out of 10. For the entree I had the goat with sauerkraut and peaches. To me it was just… okay. The sauce was very good, but the sauerkraut (though good) did not wow me. The goat meat was pretty good, but again, not amazing. 8 out of 10. I remember reading a review before going that said the food is just shy of Michelin quality, and I would agree. It’s certainly good food, but nothing stood out as a dish that I absolutely need to have again. I finished with the Debut, a sweet gin-based apple cocktail which was pretty good, 9 out of 10, and the pavlova dessert which I thought was very good too. I mostly enjoyed the wafers on top, the fruit on the inside was just okay for me.

Overall a pretty good meal and a beautiful space. So much art all over the entire restaurant! The menus were also beautiful and well thought out/well put together visually. I don’t know if I need to go back, but I would definitely recommend a visit for others! I interacted with Dante, Guillermo, and Lucia (sommelier). All very...

My experience was “just” a good experience, but not a great experience, something you expect when going to a Michelin star restaurante. At first, we were sit at a table literally aside the kitchen delivery table. Be aware of this, Literally you are beside people shouting dishes names, the sound of the plates hitting each other, the fire and pan cooking, etc. you barely can speak , is very distracting. I believe the experience on these types of restaurants is to have a quiet evening (in my case at least) They gently moved us outside after request. The food experience I had was just normal, nothing I can say that will remember from Mendoza. We order 4 step course. First course was a vegetable base dish, mainly with zucchini. Textures where ok, but the feeling in mouth was that it had no personality. The combinations did not bring any feeling at all when you tasted it. The focus was more on the visual presentation (very pretty) than on the explosion of tastes in your mouth. I’ll say is a 2/5 point. For second, we had a lamb tongue based dish. I didn’t comprehend what the chef was trying to accomplish here. The meat slices where hard, making the experience focused on chewing more than testing. It had no flavor whatsoever to impress. Two of the girls actually did not finish the plate. I’ll say is also a 2/5 point. For third course we had the meat, which it was actually great, this time flavors and sensations kicked in… BUT… is very hard to go wrong with a meat based dish in Argentina… right. I’ll say is a 4/5 point. Finally, we had a wine based ice cream, which it was a good ending, but far away from being a happy ending. 3/5 points. The wines that where selected to go with the different where also just ok. The best thing for sure was the great attending collaborators… at all times. 5/5 for them. To sum up.. for the Michelin star, I was expecting greatness, got just a...

GO HERE WHILE YOU CAN!!!

Now, if I’ve hopefully caught your attention: at these prices, it should be taken for granted that the food tastes good, and looks good. What one looks for, and seldom finds, is an element of surprise. Of delight. Of joy. And Centauro delivers these in spades.

Much like the historical hotel now revamped in a tastefully modern style that this restaurant is situated in, Centauro is bursting with creativity, daring and genius. They don’t just grow their own herbs; they grow their own oyster mushrooms. They don’t just have excellent Argentinian beef; they dry age it in koji. They do a wine pairing with their tasting menu, and they have the guts to not have a single Malbec on the list! And did I mention all their ingredients are locally sourced within Mendoza?

Genius aside, the service is both teeming with warmth as well as wisdom. Abigail, the waitress, talks as well as she listens, eagerly explains the intricacies of the menu while learning and gathering feedback. Martin, the manager, stopped by my table to converse and upon hearing my interest in the oyster mushrooms brought me on a comprehensive tour of the beautiful restaurant - including, yes, the mushroom-room(!). Finally, Lucia, the sommelier, seamlessly switches between English, Spanish and Portuguese from guest to guest in order to describe the finer points of each brilliantly paired wine, including a couple of surprises (an unaged Cab Franc for a steak course??). It’s like having a rocket scientist pouring your wine.

Simply put, I had as much fun here as I did at some of the “World’s Best Restaurants” in Lima. This is Gaston Acurio-level stuff in the making. I truly believe that this 5 month old establishment will be “reservations only” in 7 months’ time - go here while you can. And have fun! Because the restaurant definitely is. And...