La Boca Bar and Grill offers authentic Argentinian cuisine in the heart of Adelaide. Their warm and inviting dining space complete with colourful murals, Asado cooking style and Parilla grill made us forget we were in Adelaide and took us on a journey. We were invited to try their Omakase (Chef’s Choice) six course degustation, which Chef Nicolas Arriola changes and updates regularly.

Our first dish of the night was Wagyu Beef Cecina with Coffin Bay Oyster. All of the dishes of the night were presented so beautifully, and this one looked like a work of art. The oyster meat was removed from the shell and placed within the Cecina, underneath a provolone cheese foam. It was truly unlike anything I’d ever had before – the saltiness of the dry Wagyu was refreshed by the juicy cucumber.

Second course was a Chicken and Porcini Mushroom Empanada. I’m a big fan of empanadas, and the pastry on this one has to be the best I’ve had. It was gorgeous, and the filling was warm, tasty and hearty.

Third course was Seared Tiger Prawn with Capsicum, Black Olives and Garlic. This dish was surprisingly light for a dish with such strong flavours, but they all worked together to give a lovely salty aftertaste. The prawn itself was succulent and juicy, wish a nice charred taste.

Our fourth course of the night was Smoked Yellowfin Tuna on Mint and Pea Soup Gelee. I love seared tuna and it’s not overly common on menus, so I was glad this was a part of the degustation. The tuna was lovely and the gelee was refreshing, however it was a much more summery tasting dish than I was expecting (although it was dark and pouring with rain while we ate this course, so imagining it was a beautiful sunny day outside isn’t a bad thing!).

For the fifth and final savoury course we had Wagyu Beef Rump with Herbed Polenta. I had been looking forward to this course all night because when I think of Argentinian food I think of red meat, and gosh this dish didn’t disappoint! The beef was absolutely perfect – pink in the middle and so tender and juicy. The meat was accompanied by dried figs and a red wine glaze, and thought I’ve never thought of putting figs with beef it suited it perfectly! An absolutely faultless dish for me.

Our final course of the night was a sweet finisher – Banana Curd and Peanut Butter Mousse with Chocolate Slice. If I could bottle up that curd I would – it was beautiful! The mousse wasn’t overly strong, but when eaten together with a bit of curd and chocolate slice, the flavours worked well together.

La Boca Bar and Grill’s Omakase menu is available for dinner 7 days a week.

Words by Heidi Ioannou from The Hungry Heidi

WHERE: 150 North Tce, Adelaide