I really cannot figure this name out. Is it a play on words? It's a play on words that doesn't…read morereally make sense. I know there's lots of meat, thus Argentinian Meat, perhaps 'meet' is a noun in this case? As in short for meeting place? I'm sure I'll ponder that one in the wee small hours whilst attempting to drift into slumber, but meanwhile I'll tell you about the restaurant itself.
Business districts are tricky when it comes to food. Take Spinningfields in my home city of Manchester for example. During the evening, the likes of Nando's and Carluccio's are desolate, with the occasional ball of tumbleweed whistling through with the breeze. But by day these places are crammed with suits. It's those after-work hours that are tricky. Argentinian Meet at the bottom of Brunswick Street however has managed to pack them in, conquering the difficult post-5pm slot and having done so since its opening in 2006.
But what of the food? The restaurant claims that unlike its owners, all the beef is Argentinian. The staff happen to be Hispanic and South American but we're not eating them, it's just an interesting fact. How about the vino? Only three Argentinians on the list there I'm afraid, and they come with a high price tag. The rest are just your average Pinot Collapsos you'd find in your local pub, nay, Thresher's even. All the dishes here come with a fresh and colourful little side salad which is crispy and refreshing enough to take the edge off the spicy mains and clean the palate, and chimichurri, a traditional Argentinian accompaniment dip. It's nice.
If you're veggie you'll be REALLY disappointed. You've been assigned to the rudimentary pesto spaghetti or the Portobello mushroom lasagne with spinach. Hardly Argentinian, really. Still, if you're a pescetarian/vegequarian like me you're in for a little more of a treat with whole lobster, grilled tuna, salmon and cod. The tuna cooked with chilli, garlic and coriander butter is delightfully cooked and melts in the mouth. You might notice a little hit and miss vibe with the old steaks though, the whole reason you'd come to an Argentinian place. They have a habit of tenderising the meat, such as ribeye, and in bashing the bejaysis out of it they also bang away the flavour and the thickness, thus resulting in something stretched and disturbing. Kind of like that guy attached to the fish hooks in Hellraiser.
Oh god, I've just put you off tenderised steak forever.
Nay mind. The steak here might not be as good as Gaucho Grill, but heck, they do follow orders and cook it to your exact tastes. The ribeye, however Frank from Hellraiser it might be, will be as medium rare, rare or well done as you asked. Simples.
Service is good and while you might be privy to a lot of phone calls about Monday meetings and targets and 'but he's not pulling his weight in terms of the Johnson account', the atmosphere's pretty bustling too.
And there's even chips. Well whaddya know!
