When walking down Flinders Lane, you may have caught a glimpse of a large sign with "Pastuso" on it at the end of a laneway. I have personally noticed the sign many times, however I did not know that it belonged to the sister restaurant of one of my favourite grill restaurants in the city, San Telmo. When I found this out I had to go try it for myself.
With the same owners as the Argentinian San Telmo, Pastuso attempts to take us on a journey to discover the beautiful food and culture of Peru.
Illuminated signage
Busy weekday night
Open kitchen
Anticuchos $19.00
The Anticuchos were skewers of beef loin and swordfish on a bed of grilled vegetables. The beef loin was tender and flavourful and the swordfish was possibly the best cooked swordfish I have ever had. Most of the swordfish that I have tried has turned out dry or tough, however this was was soft and the flavours were amazing.
Salpicon de vegetables $14.00
Since most of what we ordered was just meat and more meat I thought it would be a good idea to have some vegetables in the meal. The flavour of the vegetables and the goats curd was a good combination, but I wish there was more fennel in the dish since it was the star of the dish.
Bife angosto $50.00
The dry aged striploin at Pastuso was unfortunately not as well cooked as I would have liked. Having ordered the steak medium rare, it was far closer to medium instead. Although it was a slight letdown in terms of the way it was cooked, it was still seasoned quite well and very flavourful.
El pollo $34.00
When the El pollo arrived I actually felt a bit disappointed as the meal had been going quite well. What was put before me was half of a chicken that was very obviously overcooked on one side, and had a burnt skin. Although the parts of the chicken that weren't burnt were actually quite good, it definitely was not worth what we paid for it.
Having been excited to try the Peruvian flavours of Pastuso I was quite impressed by the range and utilisation of different flavours. I would definitely like to come back on a night where they are less busy as I feel like that may have been the reason for the sub par cooking of the food that night. Other than those points though, the staff were lovely and the entree was perfect and both me and my friend agreed that we could have eaten at least 3 more of them.
Food Rating 7/10
Overall Rating 7.5/10