Janet Street-Porter reviews Chimichurris: It’s nice to eat somewhere that’s not trying to be trendy

Meat lovers heaven: Chimichurris
Janet Street-Porter22 February 2018

Ambience: 4/5

Food: 4/5

In politically correct Britain, writers tackle some subjects at their peril.

Recently, I dared to comment that vegans seemed a po-faced bunch, after one militant ranted at BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine for daring to choose a ham and cheese sandwich for his lunch. Apparently, milk is the product of rape and ham is a chunk of dead pig. Calm down, I want to scream. Why can’t we respect the right of an individual to eat whatever they choose?

After receiving more than 1,000 angry tweets from furious vegans, I’m still determined to champion freedom of speech and will continue to consume whatever takes my fancy — providing it has a good CV. I grow vegetables and only eat meat a couple of days a week, but I don’t respond well to bullying. Faced with the choice of a vegan pub in Hackney or a meaty Argentinian grill in Southwark for this review, you can guess which establishment was graced with a visit. A few years ago I had a fabulous holiday in Uruguay and Argentina with the late David Collins, and discovered the art of the parrilla, or charcoal grill — beautifully cooked steak, served with spicy sauce called chimichurri.

The interior is a bit of a man cave — chunky wooden benches scream Fred Flintstone, but luckily I managed to get a table with my back to the wall

Nicolas Modad was the head chef at Brindisa and has opened this unpretentious restaurant, which showcases popular dishes from his homeland. There’s plenty of meat, but also cheese, grilled vegetables, fish and the inevitable sickly sweet desserts featuring dulce de leche. The interior is a bit of a man cave — chunky wooden benches scream Fred Flintstone, but luckily I managed to get a table with my back to the wall. I hate refectory seating, but then I’m a pensioner. Mr Modad was tending his glowing embers as I arrived — the grill is right by the entrance, a gorgeously welcoming sight.

The restaurant is on a bleak bit of Southwark Bridge Road, but inside there’s upbeat music (not too loud) and friendly waiters. I took two gay friends who love eating meat and have no special dietary requirements ­— these days, they are thin on the ground in inner London. We started with glasses of light Malma sparkling wine from the short Argentinian list, and then moved on to a full-bodied Malbec, velvety and smooth.

I’d been warned that the starters were huge, so we shared two empanadas, the South American version of Cornish pasties, beautifully crimped and stuffed with tuna and spicy chicken. The fillings change daily, and they’d make a good lunch. Then, a plate featuring my two favourite meaty delights — home made chorizo and black pudding. Obscenely rounded and perky, it scored a 10 out of 10 by my Glaswegian mate, a fan of Stornoway black pudding. This monster was moist and crumbly and soon disappeared.

For mains I chose pulpo asado, a big limb of tender octopus with polenta, smoked paprika and salsa criolla, made with tomatoes, peppers, onion and wine vinegar. I had an excellent version of this dish in Turin last summer. Octopus really lends itself to the grill as the flesh caramelises, the smoky paprika here making it really earthy. My pals demolished boneless chicken legs from the grill and a sirloin steak with chips, complete with more sauces. All the meat was tender and the steak perfectly done. A big dish of grilled vegetables was the only slight disappointment: perfectly cooked but a little soggy in the spicy sauce. I still ate the lot.

I can’t believe we managed to stuff down a pancake with dulce de leche and vanilla ice cream, before staggering off into the rainy night feeling utterly content. It’s nice to eat somewhere that’s not trying to be trendy. Chimichurris is a good neighbourhood hangout — if you like meat.

Rex Features

Chimichurris

1 Bottle of still water £3

3 Glasses of Malma Brut £17.85

1 Carafe of El Guardado Chic £24

1 Bottle of Luminis Malbec £34

2 Empanadas £5.50

1 Chorizo and black pudding £8.25

1 Pulpo asado £18

1 Chicken legs £12

1 Sirloin steak £23

1 Parrillada de vegetales £12

1 Panqueque with dulce de leche £5

Total £162.60

132 Southwark Bridge Road, Borough, SE1 (020 7401 2308; chimichurris.co.uk)

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