Eating at De Olivas i Lustres is like swirling in a kaleidoscope of food. This tapas restaurant bedazzles with plate after plate of beguiling tastes, presented in engaging ways.
The night I went, the salad that accompanied duck pate was tucked into a square glass box. Tiny glasses held a morsel of fish on a base of creamy squash puree. White domes concealed corn flans. Sauces meandered around striking platters that looked as if the kitchen were staffed with architects and designers as well as cooks. The dinner plates were framed decorative tiles--anything to be different.
The food is not just clever but good. There is a nice balance between meaty tapas, such as a thin slice of beef on a stick, pancakes made with fish and brains; sticks of sweetbreads with figs, and meatless tastes such as olives coated with chopped peanuts, fried sticks of garbanzo flour pastry, cucumbers stuffed with cheese and garlic cloves in a sweet sauce.
The courses are generous so that by the time dessert arrives, it may be easy to resist even such temptations as fresh strawberries with three creams, orange alfajores and a dense chocolate mousse.
The restaurant is great fun, and if you're out with people you don't know well, you'll find plenty to talk about on the table.
De Olivas i Lustres, Gorriti 3972, Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires. Tel: 4867-3388.
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