As one of the hottest openings in 2010, Porteno is a fabulous new restaurant in the heart of Sydney: an Argentine steakhouse with perfectly fired cuts of meat. Served with cold beer and sprinkled with salt, it’s all you need for a delicious meal. As their second Sydney venture (following the success of their first restaurant, Bodega), the tattoo-wearing, rock-star look-a-like chefs, Ben Milgate and Elviz Abrahanowicz, tend to the grills as a stylish wait staff works the room of this fun, casual and boisterous local eaterie. If you’ve arrived without a reservation (which are not accepted for parties fewer than six), spend some time at the bar upstairs and sample one of the signature cocktails, such as the Palermo Hollywood (tequila, apple juice, vanilla, cinnamon and sage), or try one of their Spanish beers on tap. Once you get to your table and order copiously to share, try the broccoli and ricotta, barbecued calamari legs wrapped around pickled green tomato with citrus and olive oil, or cured kingfish ceviche with sweet potato crisps and tender and sweet corn. All the large cuts of meet are cooked over an authentic asador, a traditional Argentine wood-fired oven, where crispy suckling pig and Suffolk lamb shin are heated to perfection. This is real meat-lovers dream and an unmissable dining experience in Sydney.
