GustOrganics New York – CLOSED

GustOrganics may be pushing the superlatives by claiming to be the world’s only restaurant serving “100% certified organic food”. But they can have that one: food here is top quality and the organic certification they refer to applies only in the USA.

GustOrganics NYC – Lardbutty restaurant of the week


The Argentine style empanadas were a popular starter among our party. Between us, we tried all varieties with hempanada being the favourite for originality and taste – made from hemp flour (black appearance), sweetcorn, mushrooms, zucchini (courgette) and mozzarella. The house speciality beef stew was divinely tender and tasty, with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture like pulled pork.

Restaurant info:
~ Lardbutty rating: 3.5 / 5
~ Type: Argentinian/ Organic
~ Menu: GustOrganics dinner menu
~ Address: 519 Ave of the Americas, New York
~ Post/zip code: New York 10011
~ Nearest metro station: 14th Street, NYC
~ Website: GustOrganics website
~ Location: GustOrganics map
~ Photos at GustOrganics

Santa Maria – Lardbutty restaurant of the year 2010

Santa Maria del Sur – Lardbutty restaurant of the year 2010

SW8’s best kept secret is well and truly out: Santa Maria del Sur.

In Gordon Ramsay’s F Word series 5 he told the world that the steak at Santa Maria del Sur was the best he’d ever tasted. Could there be a higher accolade? This small and cosy restaurant was always busy but now it’s advisable to book a couple of months in advance.

Parrillada Deluxe – mixed grill for two comprising 350g sirloin steak, 250g fillet steak, Argentine-style sausage, black pudding + provolone cheese

I was introduced to parrilladas (mixed grills to share) on my first visit here in 2006. This is clearly what the restaurant specialises in, so I’ve stuck to them on every visit since, also sharing other plates and starters so I can work my way through the menu(!) without sacrificing the perfectly cooked meats.

Parrillada deluxe meat fest with grilled mushrooms

The grilled tuna steak, empanadas (Argentine pasties), provoleta (grilled cheese), morcilla (black pudding) sausages, sirloin and fillet steaks are consistently perfect (with fillet outranking sirloin). Given the quality and size of the portions, £25 per person for the parrillada deluxe is well worth it. And there’s a good selection of reasonably priced wines (malbec from £15.50 a bottle – *update April 2014: excellent Famiglia Bianchi Malbec Reserva 2011-12 ‘world’s best wine’ @ £38*).

Cosy interior – with soft lighting

Pancake dessert

I’ve visited on different days of the week and at different times and all have been good. We spent a lovely leisurely Sunday afternoon here last September (for K’s dad’s birthday) when service was exceptionally good (perhaps because it wasn’t as frantic as it is sometimes in the evening). We visited last night, a Monday evening, with my parents. The restaurant was fully booked – people turning up on the offchance of getting a table were turned away. We left four very happy customers.

So, does any restaurant deserve full marks or is there always room for improvement? Santa Maria currently ranks top of the Lardbutty index, scoring 4.5 out of 5. It’s so close but doesn’t quite warrant the full 5 marks, as on one Friday night when the restaurant was packed and hectic, we were a party of five squashed on a table for four. We were short on table space for the parrilladas and shared plates, and the fifth person was seated in a busy gangway. We overlooked this slight discomfort – of course – as everything else was exceptional.

Sample bill for two – as of April 2014

Restaurant info:
~ Lardbutty rating: 4.5 / 5
~ Type: Argentine
~ Address: 129 Queenstown Road, Battersea, London
~ Postcode: SW8 3RH
~ Nearest station: Queenstown Road, Battersea Park mainline stations
~ Website: Santa Maria del Sur website
~ Photos on flickr: images of Santa Maria del Sur food
~ Location: Restaurant map