El Sizzling Lomito - CLOSED

Overview

Ponsonby Central's very popular El Sizzling Chorizo has expanded its territory and opened a new sister restaurant, El Sizzling Lomito on K Road.

El Sizzling Lomito (Sizzling Tenderloin) could almost be mistaken as a replica. However, owner Corra Anselmi has expanded the operation with a purpose-built butchery for curing and air drying meats, and making sausages. You can also wave goodbye to the Ponsonby Central restaurant's characteristic table shortages, as El Sizzling Lomito comfortably supports a larger number of guests around the restaurant bench and has a number of larger group tables.

Upon entry we're greeted by friendly and attentive staff who've been happily chatting away to some other customers in their native tongue. Any restaurant who attracts their own is an extra tick in our book.

We seat ourselves at one of the large tables at the front. Once summer kicks into gear it'll be a great spot to watch the world go by with full doors to swing open.

The best way to describe their menu is to call them South American subs (which are available for both eat in a takeaway). The meat is barbecued over tea tree embers becoming charred on the outside and juicy in the middle matched with escabeche, seasonal salads and chimichurri, the Argentinian staple sauce.

We ordered the Steak Lomito ($19) made with grilled steak, melted Emmental cheese, onion, red capsicum escabeche, lettuce and aioli; the Milanesa De Pollo ($14) made with deep fried crumbed chicken breast (ah yes, good start), crispy bacon (better), tomato confit, rocket and homemade chipotle aioli; and finally, the Lomo De Cordero ($16) made with lamb steak, melted blue cheese, caramelised onion, poached pears and fresh rocket. All of the above are enveloped in soft Wild Wheat bread. The Milanesa De Pollo was an absolute standout of the pack - the bacon and crispy chicken forming a perfect union in my mouth.

Each sandwich was matched with a tap beer, which of course you must try. We washed them all down nicely with a Pointers Pale Ale ($8.50) and Black Dog Comp ($8.50).

With daily lunch and dinner deals, this Argentina sandwich shop will rapidly become a popular lunch spot for the nine-to-fivers.