Francis Mallmann has made himself quite a reputation in Uruguay, although he is Argentinian and obviously, going further back, Swedish. His fame in Uruguay comes mainly from the restaurant El Negro in Jose Ignacio, but is being surpassed by Garzon, the new in-place to hang out and possible by land (Paul Smith is rumoured to have just bought a plot). A small square in the middle of beautiful countryside, it is surrounded by a handful of simple buildings and seems much like something out of a Hollywood cowboy movie. In SHort, it is a beutiful setting and driving up t Mr. Mallmann's restaurant ion one of teh corner's of teh sqaure seems somewhat surreal when you think of his reputation an dteh expectations you have for his cuisine.
Inside you will not be disappointed. In sunny weather and high season make sure to reserve and, is possible, to get a table around the pool. Indoors the decor is original with high ceilings and a colonial/other-worldly feel. A look at the menu raises some eyebrows as starters are priced at 30-40 Euros and main courses at 50-60 and this in the middle of nowhere in the middle of nowhere. But hey, we have all paid over the odds before for amazing culinary experiences and this one promises as much as you sit and take it in.
Result: mixed. Excellent wines including the Uruguayan Tannat (tsimilar in taste to the Malbec of Argentina but not the same grape). Excellent starter of zucchini shavings, lemon, mint, and olive oil (an excellent oil from the Garzon area). Bread and service also top, but the mina courses disappointed. One was lamb cooked for 7 hours. When we mentioned it was not what we expected it was not charged. The other main was a tender steak with chimichurri sauce (typical in Uruguay) but it just did nit stand out for the price charged. Would have been perfectly acceptable at 20 Euro. This said the manager came to speak to us and I would certainly go back again to try more dishes and to give the chef another try (Mr. Mallmann was not in the cuisine)
