Steaks and Pitbulls: Buen Ayre: London: Restaurant

When an Italian stockbroker, whose screensaver is a photo of his Porsche, gives you restaurant advice you've either got to be incredibly brave or quite stupid. Thankfully in this case it was the former. Booze Island reports:

"Set in the middle of what some people might call an 'up and coming' neighborhood but we would just call the thug ass ghetto is the Argentinean steakhouse Buen Ayre. The restaurant is located in East Hackney, a borough of London that is more closely associated with packs of white British thugs in hoodies equipped with rabid pitbulls on chain leases than with quality cuisine. However, while the restaurant may only be accessible by armour reinforced SUV it is possibly one of the better low key steakhouses in London. This small ten to fifteen table restaurant has a very simple formula: wooden tables, a simple menu, and an accessible Argentinean wine list all at reasonable prices. Our group started with a selection of freshly made empanadas and then moved straight into some 10oz and 14oz fillets. The meat is cooked on a wood burning grill located in the back of the restaurant next to the small bar and it tasted as though it came straight from Las Pamapas – fresh, tender and full of flavor. Much of the wine list comes from the famed Mendoza region and our waiter selected the perfect bottle to compliment our meal. Unfortunately, the name of the wine escapes me because while incredibly smooth it also packed a Hackney worthy punch. Buen Ayre is a welcome addition to the casual London dining scene and is worth the journey."

Location Note: Don’t be fooled by the pleasantly downtown New York sounding address of ‘Broadway Market’, take Sao Paulo level precautions to get to this place as walking down the wrong street at night you may find yourself with a bulldog gnawing on your leg as you are being happy slapped. There is no tube station nearby. The exception might be on Saturday's when Broadway Market is actually a market.

+Buen Ayre, 50 Broadway Market, London +44 20 7275 9900.
+Closer to Civilization: Smiths of Smithfield, 67-77 Charterhouse Street, London +44 20 7251 7997.
+Track: Flashback: Party In De Ghetto - David Morales and The Bad Yard Club feat. Crystal Waters.