The scene Rustic not in the sense of dishonest pretension, but in the sense of bare stone walls, warm and attentive service, and an open kitchen in the corner that fills the room with the scent of the menu and, on the upcoming chilly winter’s evening, a hearty warmth, too.
The grub As you’d expect from an Argentinian establishment, the menu is meat, and especially steak, heavy.
While there are choices for the veggies there (including some appetising pasta dishes and empanadas), it’s just not really the point.
Steaks, chorizo, blood sausage, lamb … you get the picture.
We opt for the balsamic sweetbreads and chistorra as starters, the former an enjoyably pallet-piquing proposition loaded with spring onions and rocket salad, the latter a spicy sausage taster of the meat feast to come.
The menu-topping rib-eye steak arrives as a sterling slice of Argentine pride, a hefty slab of meat that’s as imposing as it is delicious.
The Milanesa a la Napolitana’s a thinner rump steak covered with mozzarella, tomato and ham, a less stomach-stretching but equally sublime choice.
With red meat’s predominance to this point, dessert needs a wait, and even then it is but one shared that we can manage.
It’s a wait worthwhile, though – the chocolate mousse is, simply, as syrupy and creamy as you can imagine.
Behind the bar Wines include reds and whites for all tastes and budgets (we try the highly recommended Mendozan Norton Reserva cabernet-sauvignon), as well as a Patagonian prosecco and Quilmes Argentinian beer.
Bill please Starters from £4.50; steaks from £14; mains from £12-£30; desserts from £6.
Wine from £4.50 (by the glass) and £15 (by the bottle). Beers from £6.
Verdict A rustic charmer that has excellent food – especially the single-sitting defying steaks – and atmosphere that is welcoming, warming and hearty.
And it has really good steaks, did we mention that?
31 Camden High Street, NW1 7JE
lapatagonia.co.uk
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