Porteño — Restaurant in Sydney

Forgot to take photos of everything we had. Went to porteno saturday night for date night. Asked for long island iced tea and Tom Collins. Could not make either. Upsetting but not deal breaker. Ordered house cocktails. Very tasty, not very strong though.

For dinner had: Bone marrow w/ bread. 9/10 Ricotta & parmesan dumplings 8/10 Lamb rack 7/10 Wagyu Flat Iron 5/10 Heirloom tomatoes 8/10 Cucumbers 3 ways 6/10

Chimi Churri 6/10 Bordelaise 5/10

Was a bit upset about our cocktails being knocked back but the bone marrow proved I had chosen the correct restaurant for our date night (partner loves steak). The way it melted in my mouth was exactly what you want from bone marrow. The bread was very doughy but fresh off the grill so perfectly paired with the rich marrow.

Dumplings were delicious though very rich. Of the 4 dumplings I had to eat 3 as my partner has a smaller stomach than I.

Rack of lamb was juicy and tender. A little over cooked but paired with the chimi churri it was a winner.

Flat Iron steak was a let down. I think it must have been rested too long as it was over cooked and not very hot. Upsetting as this was supposed to be the star of the night for my partner. (The storehouse cooked the next evening was "tastier and more tender" according to her.

Heirloom tomatoes were delicious. Can't go past a well seasoned slice of tomato. IT infuriates me when places serve raw tomatoes with ZERO seasoning. The vinaigrette was perfectly paired.

Cucumbers 3 ways I did not get to try as I misread the menu thinking it was pickles. I cannot eat raw cucumber as it gives me a rash. Partner said they weren't bad but was hoping for more pickles and less cucumber.

Chimi churri wasn't very green. I guess they make a HUGE batch every week as all their steaks come with it as a complimentary condiment.

THE bordelaise was acceptable. I feel as though the stock used in this batch had come from bones that had been baked too long as I could taste a bit of burnt flavour. Not enough to ruin it, but enough to detract from what it could have been. Perfectly velvet with blanched marrow floating in it.

For dessert we shared Pavlova and also the Milk Flan.

The milk flan was PHENOMENAL. Perfect wobble with a great sweetness and creaminess. We were sad we could not get through the whole thing as it was superb.

THE pavlova was not bad. Meringue had dried out a bit but deeper inside it had that nice spongey texture. Served with mango as it's lone fruit. I enjoyed the mango but my partner and I both decided it needed more fruits. I said strawberry, she said kiwi. Either would have been great additions. More acidity was needed to cut through the heavy meal we had just eaten.

Overall my experience was underwhelming. For $550 (plus a 10% tip) I left feeling as though a cheap restaurant would have been just as memorable. Whether this was due to my high expectations or it just being a story of right place wrong time I don't know.

At such a high price it will be long while before I return to find out which. I had so many of my fellow chefs and cooks recommend this place so I can't write it off just yet.

P.S My partner and I were looking forward to their famous brussels sprouts. Seems they've axed them for some reason. Ah well; you snooze, you lose.

Happy Eating...

Dinner with friends at @portenosydney: omg I love this place so much! The food is absolutely fantastic 😍😍😍. The service was warm and friendly, and also efficient at the same time 🙂🙂. We went for a la carte, and we were pretty stuffed by the end of the meal 😅😅. Such a good place to have a delicious meal for special occasions. . Humble Bakery Sourdough: good bread! Nice and soft. So good to use it to scoop up all the sauces from the starter dishes 🤤🤤🤤. . Ceviche of yellowtail kingfish & golden Kiwi with eschallot, hot sauce & basil: this dish was such a refreshing start to the meal. The sweet and ever so slightly tangyness of the gold kiwi was so good to have with the kingfish! Superb dish 🤤🤤. . Charred Tasmanian octopus with cavolo nero, broccolini & wood roasted piquillo pepper: I don't know how they make the octopus so well! It's both charred and super tender at the same time 😯😯😍😍. So good! . Wood fired forest grown mushrooms from Matt Farms with olaruto & smoked maple, slow cooked chickpeas, pickled celery & chestnut: this dish contains a lot of different yummy ingredients that all complement each other. Super delicious mushrooms 🤤🤤. . T-Bone 750g - solely pasture fed Tasmanian Hereford, with chimichurri sauce, and done medium-rare: perfectly cooked t-bone steak! Tender and full of flavour. Sometimes all you need is a good steak 😍😍. . Margra lamb rump (450g) - served with rosemary & confit garlic vinaigrette: wow the lamb was so good! Not at all gamey or fatty, and very tender. Excellent flavours. . Crispy brussels sprouts with lentils, mint & mustard dressing: this is their must have side dish! They definitely make the best brussel sprouts I've ever had 🤤🤤🤤. It's not at all bitter, and just super delicious. Even if you don't like them normally, you should give it a try! . Charcoal grilled leeks with burnt honey vinaigrette & hazelnut: nicely grilled with a good sweet nutty flavour. So good 😋😋. . Chips: even their chips are perfectly crispy and seasoned nicely 😄😄. . Porteno classic Jersey milk flan, with Chantilly cream & dulce de leche: apparently this dish has been on their menu for 15 years because it's so popular. We can definitely see why! The flan was so smooth and delicious 😋🤤😍. Rich but not overly so, and not too sweet. Just perfect! . Caramelised apple upside down cake with Brandy custard & whipped cream: I love an apple dessert, and this one definitely did not disappoint! Again, not too sweet, and had lots of nice...

Solid 3.5 for me. Great ambience, classy vibes. Smell of wood-fire as soon as you open the door. Staff were friendly, welcoming and attentive. Food was a hit and miss for me unfortunately.

Started with the sourdough ($3.5 pp) from Humble (next door) - good but nothing to shout about really. The wood-fired cheese ($26) was great - super juicy and loved how the olives gave it a balance plus the char just gave the extra flavour.

The octopus ($36) was unfortunately a miss for us. Though cooked perfectly, it wasn’t smoked enough in our opinion which gave it a pretty bland flavour, and the combination just didn’t work for us. Texture wise was pretty weird as well - probably the mole plus crunchiness from the peanut and the octopus.

T-bone ($118) had great flavours from the wood-fire. Seasoned well. Slightly chewy - can’t fault them as it’s more likely the texture from grass fed and finished cattle.

Lamb rump ($78) was probably the winner for us. The fat was crispy on the outside but the lamb was beautifully tender. Not gamey at all. Great great flavour from the char and some of that rosemary. Didn’t feel the garlic did much to it to be honest.

We had the chimichurri ($4) as condiments for both the meat. Decent flavours but the ratio of oil to herbs was probably 1:16 - pretty much just drenching your meat in a chimichurri-flavoured oil? Had better at almost anywhere.

Finally the infamous Brussel sprouts ($18). Loved the flavours, no bitterness like you’d expect from a Brussel sprout, lots of flavours from the charring. Dressing was great - tad salty but definitely cuts the fattiness from the meat.

Would we rush to return? Probably not. Never felt this way with any other 2-hatted...