A Taste of Porteno

Overview

Restaurant Month is not all starched tablecloths and crystal glasses. This unique event includes an open fit pit, two trendy, tattooed chefs from Sydney and whole lambs which will be slow cooked to perfection. A Taste of Porteño brings Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz’s award winning ‘Argentinean BBQ and rockabilly styles’ from Surry Hills to Auckland for one special evening.

Held at Vivace, this will be a night to remember with mouth-watering BBQ fare by the chefs who were this awarded the prestigious title of ‘Chef of the Year’ (2013) by the Sydney Morning Herald.

For our ten best things to do during Restaurant Month, click here, and check out our interview with Ben and Elvis below.

The menu includes:

ON ARRIVAL

'Fish Fingers' Sashimi Local Fish on Garlic Toast

MENU

Bread, Pork Pate & Marinated Eggplant

Thinly Sliced Beef Round Eye, Vine Smoked Tuna Preserve, Anchovy Mayonnaise & Capers

Red Wine Braised Octopus, Chicken Fregola Risotto & Bitter Leaves

Porteno Chorizo with BBQ Peppers

Slow Cooked, Wood Fired Silere Alpine origin Merino Lamb with Chimichurri

Shaved Fennel Salad with Apricot, Black Olives & Amontillado Dressing

Crispy Fried Brussel Sprouts with Lentils & Mint

South American Style Pavlova

A Taste of Porteño promises to bring your unique ‘Argentinean BBQ and rockabilly styles’ to Auckland – what does this entail?

We are doing what we do at our Restaurant Porteno in Sydney but in Auckland, we hope they'll let us play our music for the night too, we will be cooking our favourite dishes from our current menu but the highlight will be the whole lambs cooked on the crosses in the Vivace courtyard.

What attracted you guys to Argentinean BBQ cuisine?

Elvis grew up in Argentina but have both spent time travelling there and many weekends at Elvis' folks place eating his old man's BBQ.

What can Aucklanders expect to see slow cooking on the fire and on their plates at this event?

See answer one and another highlight will be our signature Crispy Brussell Sprouts with Lentils and mint.

It's an Argentinean style BBQ, but will you be cooking up some Kiwi meat?

We will be cooking NZ lambs.

What type of people will get a kick out of attending 'A Taste of Porteño'?

People who really enjoy eating, don't take it all too seriously, dining out should be fun, a good time. That's the experience we try to create at Porteno and we hope to at the Auckland event.

Do you have any favourite restaurants, bars (or record stores) in Auckland? Is there anything you've heard of that you are keen to check out?

We have never been to NZ before, so we are hoping you'll tell us where to check out?

Apart from 'A Taste of Porteño' what are your picks from Auckland's restaurant month?

We would be lying if we didn’t say that the other two international chef events sound enticing.

You've won lots of accolades since you first opened Bodega in 2006 and then went on to open Porteño (recently including Best Chefs 2013 from the Sydney Morning Herald), any special moments/highlights that stick out from the last 7 years?

Winning Chef Of the Year was pretty phenomenal, we were the first "non 3 hat chefs" to have won and we are 2 people, not just one chef - to have just been nominated was a real turning point in the Sydney dining scene. We are really grateful to have been a part of this change.