Buenos Aires has all you can eat and more

GET your teeth into a destination that is gastronomically enthusiastic and surprisingly rewarding socially, writes Kathy McCabe.

Leopoldo Buenos Aires

IT IS unavoidable to measure every steak you will ever eat against the carnivorous celebration of the cow in Argentina.

Whether grilling slabs of meat at an outdoor market or tricking up a fillet in a fine-dining establishment, the portenos of Buenos Aires bristle with a braggadocio about their beef that would silence even the most boastful of Australian backyard barbecuers. Thousands more of us are heading to South America for one of the world's premium culinary experiences as our love of cooking drives foodie tourism. While meals have always served as a potent sensory postcard of a holiday, the plethora of cooking game shows that have crowded Australian television programming have helped stoke a desire to make dining experiences more interactive. We want to stroll around the markets, dine with the locals and immerse ourselves in cooking classes to take home skills rather than posting a snapshot of a meal. Buenos Aires, and the major cities of Europe, are blossoming with boutique small-group tours to target this growing market of travellers. Cultura Cercana founder Dr Luciano Bullorsky swapped his job as a lawyer to give tourists a more intimate experience of the Argentinian capital's historical and cultural landmarks. After a morning spent exploring the parliamentary "pink house" from where Eva Peron would wave at her subjects gathered in the Plaza de Mayo, the enthusiastic host escorts us to Los Platitos, a steak house on the edge of the Rio de la Plata. This parrilla joint is legendary. It packs quickly with sprawling tables of families enjoying their regular weekend lunch while there is rarely a vacant stool at the bar surrounding the enormous grill where patrons indulge in their sirloin sandwiches. Waiter Alejandro is a serious dude who has worked here for 43 years. Even though Luciano and his tour guide mate Francisco are regulars, this proud porteno is a tough nut to crack and we make it our mission to elicit a smile by the meal's end. Los Platitos may translate as small plates but there is nothing diminutive or tapas-like about the trays of myriad cuts of beef or giant hand-cut chips which Alejandro brings to the table. Luckily everyone is in agreement on medium rare because offending the chefs by requesting further cooking is not an option. An asado (barbecue) is accompanied by a simple salad and bread and often preceded with chorizo or grilled cheese known as provoleta, the Argentinian version of haloumi or saganaki. "I always grill with wood or coal; with gas, it is a crime," Luciano explains, grinning. Another hyper-local BA food encounter is offered by British expat Leon Lightman and The Argentine Experience he offers in his apartment. If you are travelling alone or as a couple, this is a great opportunity to hang out with fellow road warriors in the comfort of someone's home, learn how to cook like a local and benefit from Lightman's knowledge of this South American hub. Lightman also likes his red wine and is suitably knowledgeable about Argentina's excellent malbecs and other varieties. You kick off the night with an empanada lesson. The trick is not to fill the pastry sheets with too much of the slow-cooked beef, caramelised onions, provoleta cheese or sauteed vegetables. And that crimping of the edges isn't as tough as you think. After the empanada is demonstrated, we are challenged to make one in whatever shape we can imagine. Mine looks like a misshapen whale while the winner expertly fashions a pair of sunglasses or a bra depending on your perspective. Unfortunately being a gluten-free girl, I can't sample my empanada but they smell divine straight out of the oven and my fellow diners vouch for their deliciousness. Next up is steak, of course. While they are being cooked, our ebullient host hilariously explains the various cuts preferred by the Argentines. He reveals they prefer the Heston Blumental method of preparing the steaks which are turned every 20 seconds on a very hot grill. Dessert is the local yerba tea served in the colourful ceramic mate mugs which line his walls. Lightman planned to move his operation to bigger premises to grow the business and agreed it was important to keep the homely vibe of our experience. Guests are encouraged to construct their own sweet fare from the selection of biscuits, melted dark chocolate, coconut shaving and dulce de leche, the native thick, rich caramel. It packs a sugar rush to keep you buzzing for hours. Australian expatriate Anne Reynolds serves as our guide to neighbourhoods and the tango during the visit to Buenos Aires in her role as founder of Fuudis. Reynolds and her co-founder Marina Ponzi offer "experiencia gastronomica sociales" a progressive dinner for 25 people, sampling entree, mains and dessert at gourmet restaurants within walking distance in the Buenos Aires neighbourhoods of Canitas, San Telmo, Recoleta and Palermo. Reynolds was working in London when she decided to head to Buenos Aires for an extensive language experience and ended up staying, working in marketing during the day and conducting Fuudis tours at night. The gregarious foodie has taken months to strike relationships with the chefs of Buenos Aires to build the circuit of restaurants she and Ponzi proudly show off to tourists. The restaurants we visit in the Ceruno district range from a homely Italian trattoria Guidos to the more hipster fare at Leopoldo. We sample a fairly conventional selection of antipasto at Guidos before heading to new Italian bistro Olivettis, for a pasta course where I enjoy a rich prawn risotto. At Leopoldo, we all flirt with the rather handsome chef after a main course of roasted pork belly, potato gallette with slow-cooked beef, brussel sprouts and confit peach. But his piece de resistance is a twisted metal sculpture of skewers of brightly coloured sweet morsel including macarons and pastries. While our stomachs protest the prospect of a final course, a nearby Jauja gelato bar beckons and no one can resist a final dollop of dulce de leche. SEE Cultura Cercana private culture tours, Dr Luciano Bullorsky, [e-mail] The Argentine Experience, Leon Lightman Fuudis, Anne Reynolds and Marina Ponzi, fuudis.com, twitter @fuudis The writer travelled as a guest of Accor and Skyteam. Go2 - BUENOS AIRES Getting there: Aerolineas Argentinas flies to Buenos Aires. Staying there: The Sofitel Buenos Aires is in the Arroyo arts district and was designed within the historic Bencich Tower - a symbol of Buenos Aires. It has a fitness centre, indoor pool, library bar and Le Sud French restaurant. Rooms start from $260 per night. See More: www.turismo.gov.ar/eng/menu.htm "Like" Escape.com.au on Facebook Follow @Escape_team on Twitter