The Good Flavor
Okay, steakhouses and Italian restaurants serving fresh made pasta may get most of the buzz when you’re talking about restaurants in Buenos Aires, but your international eating options really are endless here. And today, I’ve set my sights and tastebuds on authentic dishes from Africa.
Today I’ve gone on a food voyage to a continent known for its rich culture and flavorful food. Oh yes, I’m taking you to the motherland. This excursion was inspired by my friends Mariana and Ali who happened upon this restaurant with complete serendipity! Joy!
In Villa Crespo, El Buen Sabor Restaurant specializes in food from Africa – mainly Camaroon but does not shy away from staples from other African countries. Delighting guests for a little over six months, this family owned restaurant prides itself on providing a variety of great ethnic food. It’s hard to say what the most popular dish here is because while there is a great and FLAVORFUL selection of African food, there is also a great menu that is sure to please the Argentine pallette with milanesas, homemade pizzas and pastas. Of course, we wanted the traditional flavors of Africa and were delighted to find outstanding new flavors.
I definitely have to go back for the Feijoada next time, but this night I tasted the Chicken in Peanut Sauce with Mandioca on the side and the Fried Beans with Meat cooked so tenderly that I could cut it with a spoon and a side of fried sweet potatoes. They seemed to have a good selection of drinks and beers – and the staff is mostly from Camaroon so French is spoken freely at this humble and rustic restaurant.
A most pleasant surprise: the peanut sauce was nothing like the peanut sauces that I’m used to in for example, Thai cuisine. It was very different. Extremely flavorful… I guess that’s why they call the place – El Buen Sabor.
It’s my new favorite place to eat!
Check it out when you’re in the neighborhood or better still, make a special night of discovering something new.
They’re located in Villa Crespo:
Camargo 296 (at the corner of Julian Alvarez)
Tel. 4854-8800
Closed Mondays( but open late other days!)
http://www.elbuensaborafricano.com.ar
Popularity: 15% [?]
the menu reads almost verbatum as every other menu reads in argentina from one end of the country to the other. 10 restaurants next to each other will have the same menu. dull, dull, eating in argentina. DULL, uninspired, and getting more expensive every day. yes, its nice this african place has less than a handful of african dishes. back in washington, dc., in adams morgan, just to name ONE area of that small city, there must be 20 Ethiopian restaurants and many other ethnic restaurants and i doubt they serve hot dogs and burgers in the ethiopian places. Argentine society is conservative. they do things ONE way, they eat the same breakfast from childhood until death and never question anything.
i think that this place offers milanesas (and really delicious looking pizza) and the argentine staples because they probably think that there aren’t enough people willing to go to villa crespo to try out this “new” cuisine. it’s too bad really, but understandable that they need to pay the rent at the end of the month.
luckily there are people who want to try their food. the owners were really lovely, warm and welcoming people – and best of all, when we sat down, they were smiling and took the time to explain the menu and make some great recommendations.
You must live in a different BA to me.
Endless international options?
Most ethnic restaurants I’ve been too have been so
lame. All the exciting things like herbs and spices have bee taken out. Argentines have the taste buds of 10 year olds!
perhaps i do!
i’m so sorry to hear that you’ve had bad dining experiences!
hopefully you’ll try this african restaurant. it’s fabulous. plus, if you go to ethnic places and talk to the waiters, sometimes it helps to tell them that you’re a foreigner and spicy is okay for you. try sudestada restaurant if you want to get a rush of picante in your food. i’ve seen argentines sending the food back for being “inedibly too hot” there…
good luck!