Wine matches at 1884 Francis Mallman

The problem with well-known restaurants is the burden of expectation they carry. You go expecting an out of the ordinary experience and are frequently disappointed. Fortunately that wasn’t the case with Francis Mallman, the founder of modern Argentinian cuisine and one of the best known chefs in Latin America.

He’s been around for long enough not to have to go into culinary overdrive when presented with a posse of the world’s food press. His food was fresh, simple and delicious and the accompanying wines, from the bodega in which the restaurant is situated on the outskirts of Mendoza, were all the better for it. Here's what we ate:

Peruvian ‘dumpling’ with Punta Arenas crab
Not really a dumpling more like sweet potato pure accompanied by avocado and subtly spiced (not hot) crab legs. A good foil for a nicely rounded, apricotty 1884 Reserva Viognier 2008 from the host winery Bodega Escorihuela (Viognier is proving very successful in Argentina.)

Fresh fig salad with mozzarella and basil
Not a dish I would have picked to go with a full-bodied and not over-subtle Malbec, the 1884 Reserva 2007, but it worked because the saltiness of the cheese and the palate-coating effect of the oil offset the tannins which left the plummy fruit free to pick up on the figs. A delicious combination and a good starter if you wanted to drink red right through the meal.

Potato pure with lamb ribs ‘au jus’
Grilled lamb ribs off the parilla and a simple accompaniment of mash with greens and grilled nuts (the latter a frequently occuring ingredient in Argentinian dishes) were partnered with the ‘President’s Blend’ 2005, a powerful blend of 85% Malbec, 5% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine might have been too powerful if the ribs had not been grilled over an open fire but as it was the two were perfectly balanced.

Roast peaches and plums with vanilla ice cream
Again a simple dessert of roast peaches and plums with a wonderfully light-textured silky ice cream, sprinkled with some kind of caramelised fruit chips. The plums might have suggested one of the many sweet Malbecs that seem to be around but the dish paired perfectly with an attractively citrussy late harvest white (semillon?) from Bodega Escorihuela

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