Where to get Vegan Products in Buenos Aires

January 10, 2013 by India Leigh

My time in Buenos Aires unearthed a number of vegan and gluten free products that I enjoyed. Here are a few of them.

From Veganius I found this little tub of vegan and gluten free trifle in Casa China (a great natural foods market in Belgrano…it is always super busy and has international products and a great bulk section). Made with masa flour. Not for soy haters.

The chia and alfa alfa meal made by Natural Seed was great for sprinkling on my breakfast. So nutritious!

I used tons of the nutritional yeast. You can find tubs of flaked yeast or boxes of fine powdered nooch. It is called Levadura de cerveza. I think it tastes marginally different from US and UK offerings. This yeast is grown on cervaza (beer) I guess. Marigold Health Foods nutritional yeast are grown on molasses.

A couple of dieteticas stocked Oh Yeah It’s Vegan raw flax crackers, which were really good and crunchy. Esquina De Las Flores stocked lots of dried gluten free flours, including a green pea powder which was great to whip up a quick and filling soup with.

Almacen Del Sur produce a berenjenas (eggplant/aubergine) dip very similar to baba ganoush.

Mercado Bonpland

‘ located in the heart of Palermo Hollywood, Bonpland market stands out from other traditional markets of Buenos Aires. Born in the heat of the crisis, this place is still relatively unknown so it offers a nice walk to give among the regulars.

The initiative comes from a French installed in Buenos Aires with the idea of protecting small artisans and producers: to create a market that is based on the principle of solidarity economy. A method in vogue in France that seeks to sustain ecological and human values: organic farming, sustainable development and fair trade in order to promote and protect local businesses.

Members of the Neighborhood Association joined Palermo Viejo and knew where to get it done this initiative: Bonpland 1660.’

I found these packets of dried soup and vegetable powders, sourced from different parts of South America, they also had dried potato from the Andes, made with a speciality heirloom potato (this is still unopened and sitting in my cupboard). I must remember to try it.

This tiny store within the Bonpland market sold lots of bulk items, vegan and raw snacks and nut butters etc. They don’t have a website yet but the company is Nutricia. They have a Facebook page.

Beetroot and seaweed chips. Expensive but a nice little treat.

My friends at Ana Dietetica on calle Sanchez de Bustamante, sourced these for me. They proudly waved them at me, bouncing around like excited little kittens, when I went into the store….just before I was getting in the taxi to fly home! Never got to try them but, apparently, they were gluten free too.

This was the shy young guy, with a retro ‘willy’ (remember those..ala 1980’s. Short hair with one long, often platted, tail of hair from mid nape. Bizzare, and at that time sported by many, along with their florescent ‘Frankie Goes to Hollywood’ T-shirt). Charmingly (!) named, ‘the willy’. I digress… He and the store La Dietetica de Ana, enjoyed a symbiotic relationship. Everyday he’d stack his crates of vibrant veggies around the tree outside Ana’s store, so her shoppers could buy fresh produce to go with their health foods. He had a little scale that weighed the produce and sold by the kilo. These type of open air produce sellers are located on most streets.

Buenos Aires has dietéticas dotted all around the city. They are not like Whole Foods or Fresh & Wild in the UK but they have a small selection of gluten free and diabetics foods and vitamins and minerals, alongside a small bulk selection of herbs, spices and some superfoods etc. Celiacs should definitely locate their nearest when visiting the city.

Finally, a store on Av Dorrego, the trendy street that cuts to Villa Crespo , Punto Verde Mercado Organico opens its doors every Friday and Saturday. You can buy fresh produce and many vegan/raw artisan products and even eco friendly cleaning products and cosmetics. Lots of people come pulling empty trollies to fill or cotton bags to fill with beautiful organic veggies. The community that gathers there also sell great salads, snacks and treats to sit and eat whilst chatting to new and old friends. Superfood brownies. Equilibrio Gusto sell yamani aroz hamburguesa sin gluten (gluten free, rice bun burger with brown rice and millet pattie and salad, hummus). It is so supportive and a great hub of health and planet conscious gente (folk).

There are many other places too. This is a scratch at the service of the organic and vegan products in Buenos Aires. If you were worried about visiting the Federal Capital of Buenos Aires and not finding anything you can eat. Rest assured their is a growing community that has it covered.

Check out my previous posts on the restaurants of Buenos Aires - here are a selection;

click here

and here, oh and this one is good also click here. Have a look at this one too…clickety click

Have you visited Buenos Aires? Do you live there? Leave any tips you have in the comments box below.

Be well,

India xx

Eating Vegan In Buenos Aires - Interview Series. Algaia Cocina [with video clip]

January 7, 2013 by India Leigh

My time in Buenos Aires was nearing its end. Knowledge of Argentinas capital had proliferated questions of its food scene. Why was I so encouraged and hungry to find a restaurants marked with the big V? It is 5000 miles from home. But what is home anyway? Maybe a view, narrowed by a town or a city is poorer for it. It is my planet. I understand that no action, however small, or distanced from an observer is relevant. A meatless restaurant in Argentina reaches further than a continent it is a world movement and that is exciting.

I’d read about Nicholas, trained French Chef and owner of Algaia, on the internet. I was keen to meet him.

(Includes Chef Nico in action …..[1 minute clip] below)

The buzzer to gain entry already offered an air of seclusion. For a girl more used to encountering sheep than people around her rural town, it was a welcome if brief respite from the crush of shoppers, joggers and cars.
Algaia’s bright, walled yard, filled with cooling, exotic plants is a haven. Chic French music whispers its presence and adds atmosphere. Though the kitchen is separate from the simple seating, it is not hidden away. The sound of spoon hitting against pan. The sizzle of hot oil, the confident, rhythmic knock of knife on wood, an acoustic backdrop.

Nico is one of those people who is quiet, subtle but whom you sense is full of wisdom, like a thick encyclopedia, resting in the bookcase, or a gentle Eastern Master. Nomadic for twenty years. He left his native France and set out on an adventure of slow travel. Cooking to pay his way. Taking his time to learn the intricacies of foods and cultures from other lands.

The kitchen was scented with warm fragrances of herbs and millet, sizzling in peppery olive oil. I followed Nico as he showed me around his space. A small kitchen garden, tended when time allows. An alfresco space, and, for those days when the skies pour forth unrelenting, two rooms under roof. When Nico found love in Buenos Aires, he gave up his boat and pulled anchor. His Spanish now fluent. The stereotypical traits of a typical French man dispersed. A daughter was born.
As natural as can be, his longing to discover foreign lands acquiesced to a desire for stability, for his daughter and a compulsion to finally be the master of his own space. A business partner, since gone, manoeuvred him to a restaurant space bigger than Nico’s courage envisaged and way out of his comfort zone. With a child to care for and a business to grow, it was natural for his daughter to be part of that. She has grown up alongside papa, playing in the gardens, drawing crayoned stick figures whilst diners sat around her. The atmosphere at Algaia is peppered with family. I think this is why the kitchen feels open, accessible to all. I visited twice during my visit and each time I wanted to linger, long after my table was clear and my stomach content.

The weekends at Algaia are something special. It is family time. Nicolas wanted to encourage people to come and experience natural fresh food, bring their children and take time to relax. For the children there is a bright little playroom. A bright face young Argentinian girl is employed to entertain energetic young ones. The food is natural, plant based. Surprisingly most of his guests are not vegetarian (yet) but conscious of health. The menu is simple. The flavours satisfying. Algaia is an experience, and for a solo traveller like myself, a place to rest and feel at home.

Like us all, Nico has a growing sense of the need for community. For business to be conducted and supported among friends. Perhaps one day, organic urban farms (all produce is currently grown outside of the city) and local artisans could bring their produce, not only for Nico to use in his kitchen, but also to sell to his guests. The kitchen garden could thrive at the hands of a green fingered gardener, freeing Nico to devote all his time to the business of cooking and offering more classes. That morning, Nico had spent, privately teaching a whole family to form falafel, dress salads, create sauces and seemingly effortlessly build nutrition dense flavorsome meals. Skills he is keen to pass on. Just being at Algaia makes you want to take time, take a little more care perhaps, and savour what is placed in front of you.

I felt a little sad upon leaving the sanctuary of Algaia. I know nothing of its kind in the UK. Not just because of the warm air and keen sunshine but the comfort of kind food, the quiet community and slow, welcoming pace is a nourishment to the soul and, unfortunately a commodity rare today.

Be well

India xx

Eating Vegan In Buenos Aires - Interview Series - Delivery Kitchen - Cocina Verde

January 7, 2013 by India Leigh

Gourmet food - delivered to my door!

Comida gloriosa comida….

Three weeks deep into my stay in Buenos Aires, I was coming to see that healthful plant based eating was actually really easy to source. All the stereotypical foodie fads were catered for, some not always that well. Puerto cerradas, gluten free, raw live food, fast food (‘pop-ups have yet to.. pop up but give it time)..and gourmet food delivery, darling of the US, now taking off in the UK, was rife. My body is still craving crudito, the uncooked, freshest of the fresh. When scouting for an online food delivery to sample Cocina Verde caught my eye. It boasted ‘raw live food’ and vegan. Their rotating menu has a great sampling of gluten free dishes too. Tronido! (boom!).

How it works - you choose from a weekly rotational menu of 8 dishes plus 1 monthly special and two deserts. Kara, a trained food and nutrition coach can prepare customised health programs. I just asked for a sampling. Not all the dishes are vegan or gluten free, if that is your preference, then the online menu specifies dietary preferences.

It was like awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus on the evening of my food box. A smiling taxi driver handed me over a bag heavy with gourmet delights. One of the dishes was not gluten free (the noodles), I passed that over to my friend, she became vocal with murmerings and many mmmns, and ‘dios’ followed. All the dishes were tasty and the perfect portion sizes halted any over zealous gluttony.

Gluten free granola - genoruos smashed hazelnuts, sticky dates and seeds. Polished off with gusto!

Hearty vegan sausages - firm and ‘meaty’ accompanied by a homemade ketchup with a hint of chilli heat

Quinoa & pea soup - seasoned to perfection. A meal in itself.

Raw Collard wraps. - these had me in raptures! Crisp peppers and marinated mushrooms. A hint of warming sesame oil and the BEST cashew cheese I’ve ever had. Ever!

Always intrigued by a human interest story, I contacted Kara because I was curious to find out how a girl born in rainy Seattle, USA, ends up settling in Buenos Aires…also, because my Spanish study was running with the pace of a snail, and conducting an interview with a Spanish speaker was proving very tricky, I was glad not to be falling over myself with incorrectly conjugated verbs and droning pronunciation and conduct my interview in English.

Kara generously and gracefully agreed to fill me in. She answered many of the questions running through my mind, how vegan raw food was thriving in the city, offered a fascinating insight, and also amazed me how she prepared to launch Cocina Verde.

Interview with Kara Bauer

what prompted you to open a vegan delivery. Did you choose not to open a restaurant because of your lifestyle/coaching practice. How much as your diet influenced or had an impact on your life and events?

As a Health & Wellness Coach, I coach people in nutrition. Up until recently, there had been very few convenient options for people wanting to maintain a healthy diet. Cocina Verde provides a way for people to have healthy meals delivered on a weekly basis, eliminating the effort needed to prepare healthy meals.

The original concept was delivery (I got the idea from companies in the US doing the same), so for that reason, I never considered a restaurant. Again, the idea was to maintain a healthy diet utilizing a meal service, not just get a healthy meal one time. Also, there are some restaurants that serve vegan and raw food already (although this is fairly new in the past 5 years), but a delivery service such as Cocina Verde (in which you can order online) did not exist.

My diet influenced my decision 100%. I too wanted to have a service like Cocina Verde for my own meals as I had found it frustrating trying to find healthy ingredients in the beginning of my time in BA. After studying at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and becoming a health coach, diet became the central focus of my life and work. In addition to coaching, I also write health and wellness articles forwww.mydietexercise.com.

Are you vegan or on a high raw diet?

I am 95% vegan. I try to eat at least 50% raw, sometimes more. The other 5% is an occasional ice cream in the summer and possibly a slice of cheese or piece of fish every now and then, but that is a rare occasion (I never eat beef or chicken). When I’m coaching, I don’t tell my clients they need to be perfect 100% of the time. The idea is to eat well the majority of the time and to enjoy it! Eventually, you find that you don’t even want the old trigger foods that you did before…as you change your diet, your cravings also change and you find that you prefer nutrient rich foods.

What or who influenced you to cook? What or who influenced you to stand aside from the meat heavy typical Argentinian diet and offer vegan/raw food to BA urbanites?

The desire to be healthy and offer others the same is the only thing that influenced me to cook. Prior to Cocina Verde, I spent very little time in the kitchen…just enough to cook simple foods for myself that were healthy. In order to open CV, I had to teach myself the skills for vegan and raw food preparation. I did this mostly by reading and watching videos online and trying out recipes. I also had the opportunity to “intern” with a raw food Chef in Seattle while I was home in the US one summer formulating the plans to begin CV.

How long have you been a vegan/veggie chef??

I was vegetarian for 10 years prior to living in Argentina (since 1997). About a year into my life in BA, I tried eating meat again after receiving a recommendation from a holistic doctor in NY (at that time I had Candida and was working on reducing all types of sugar in my diet). However, even though the symptoms of Candida disappeared momentarily, I found that returning to a diet with animal products was making me lethargic and causing digestive problems. As soon as I went raw (which I did for 2 months 100%), my energy returned and the Candida disappeared completely. Since then (over 3 years ago) I have been following the vegan/raw foods diet.

What was the initial reaction to your opening and who now is your typical diner? gender/class/nationality

My original customers were mostly foreigners already familiar with vegan and raw food. However, over the past 3 years, there has been a raw vegan food movement in Argentina. After Dr. Gabriel Cousens came to Argentina to teach his Conscious Living course in 2009, many people were inspired to start teaching about raw food nutrition. Vegetarian restaurants began to offer “raw” meals and media journalists began to write a lot more about veganism, organic, raw food, etc. Now my customers are primarily Argentinean. The customers are primarily women (however there are many male customers as well) in the mid-upper income levels. Organic and raw food ingredients are expensive which makes it fairly pricey for the average Argentine. However, those who can’t afford to buy prepared meals are learning to cook and prepare raw food by the many teachers offering classes.

What is the % of organic produce you use in your dishes and is the produce easy to source?

It’s hard to say as we have to go with what’s available. We’ve had some challenges sourcing organic vegetables on the days we need them delivered, even then we don’t always know what we can get week to week. We will likely be making some changes to our menu and delivery schedule in the next months to work with better with the organic producers. Our goal is to be 50-75% organic the majority of the time. As organic produce and ingredients continue to grow we expect this to get easier.

Is there a vegan/vegetarian society in Argentina, other than the uva.org.ar? I’ve not found any products with an accreditation (I’ve only found 1 vegan/raw food product in a dietetica).

Jardin Organico and Tallo Verde both have the organic accreditation. So does Campo Claro and La Esquina de Las Flores. The organic certification in Argentina is from the organization called OIA (Organizacion Internacional Agropecuaria).

What is your most asked for dish?

We have over 100 dishes in rotation so it’s hard to say. However, people love having access to raw foods that take many hours of preparation such as dehydrated crackers, pizzas and wraps. Our nut milks are fairly popular as are our cooked bean and grain dishes.

What is your favourite dish (if you have one….or at least a current one)?

My favorite dishes would be the falafel and vegetable wrap, buckwheat pizza squares, and tomato, basil and vegan cheese pizza – all raw dishes that require dehydration.

Favourite ingredient? Do you have to import any of your ingredients? I cannot find an iherb.com or such like equivalent in Argentina.

Importing is highly regulated, expensive and requires and extensive licensing process so we use what’s available and cost effective. I guess my favorite ingredient would be buckwheat – any crusts or crackers made with sprouted buckwheat are excellent. I’m also a big quinoa fan and love just about any dish with it. You can order organic ingredients from Jardin Organico & TalloVerde…there are also a few weekly farmers markets that source many natural organic ingredients (produce, dried, prepared foods, etc.). Even when uncertified (as it’s an expensive process for many small farmers), many still follow organic standards. By talking to them in person you can find out how they produce their products

.

Have you ever featured on elgourmet or the like, or in any lifestyle magazines?

I’ve been featured in the following publications in Argentina: Joy (this would be the biggest food/lifestyle magazine that I’ve been in), Wain, Telma, El Sol de San Telmo, Revista Lima, TuVerde.com, Clarin & La Nacion (daily newspapers), The Argentina Independent, Psicologia Positiva

When you prepare your meals at home or our recipe creating, do you have a favourite piece of music you like to listen to, or ambience you like to create?

No, but that’s a nice idea! The truth is that I prepare very little at home these days after the hours spent in the professional kitchen.

What is your current favourite restaurant (if you ever get any time off!) in BA or Argentina as a whole?

Kensho

is a nice “raw” restaurant. I also like Bio and Buenos Aires Verde, both of which offer vegan and raw food meals. But, true, I have very little time for dinners out. 😉

What is your vision for your delivery service and the veggie scene in Argentina?

^{My vision is that Cocina Verde become a platform for supporting people to live a happy and healthy life. I want to offer alternative and effective ways of taking the best possible care of your health and body (beginning with diet and wellness education), so that people can focus on living the amazing life they were meant to. I am open to seeing where Cocina Verde naturally wants to go as a business – it could remain only in Buenos Aires, but grow in products and services, turn into a franchise that can exist in other parts of Argentina or South America, or potentially become the starting point for a more holistic wellness center or retreat facility.}

Do you have plans for a cookbook? My Spanish is improving but not enough to discover if there are already any vegan or vegetarian cookbooks on the market from Argentinian cooks?

We have discussed translating some Spanish raw food cookbooks in combination with Chef BeLive in the U.S. (he was ranked #1 raw food chef in 2010). He has provided us with some of his recipes that we feature on our menu exclusively through Cocina Verde. I’m not entirely sure what’s on the market, but not much..

What question do you want to answer that I may have omitted to ask?

I’m sending you another interview I did for Sassy Six, a women’s blog. Interview here

I wish Kara continued success, but I think it is a given. When you know how to use the best ingredients, have imagination, a great customer service and genuine warmth and need to serve, success follows.

For more reviews of my travels in Buenos Aires check back over the last few posts, or head over to the search bar…….. here are a couple of them:

buenos-aires-where-to-eat-vegan-food

Arevalito interview (short video clip)

Eating Vegan in Buenos Aires - Interview Series. Arevalito [with video clip]

January 4, 2013 by India Leigh

Arevalito
-
Arévalo 1478, Buenos Aires, Capital Federal, Argentina

The first thing that struck me about Carmen Paz, one of the band of three that owns Arevalito, nestled in the hip barrio of Palermo Hollywood - Buenos Aires, was her accessibility. Many restauranteurs barakade themselves behind their kitchen walls and are rarely glimpsed. Not so with Carmen. She is as passionate about feeding people wholesome food as she was when she began life as the peoples cook back in the Seventies.

I threw away the list of interview questions I had when i met her. Carmen made me feel instantly at home. A feeling she extends to all. Watching the diners arrive and seat themselves outside the tiny restaurant, they were greeted like family. Many have been coming daily for years. Ever since she can remember, Carmen has been in love with cooking. It is woven into the fabric of her fascinating, bohemian lifestyle. She has owned four restaurants in her time. One in Amsterdam. Humble beginnings with one fire, one wok and one big table. It was her time in Amsterdam that the theories of macrobiotic cooking and eating became ingrained.

As I sat melting from the summers heat in Buenos Aires, I was charmed by Carmen (self titled - el reduccionista) and her zest and enthusiasm for food. It matches my own. She is forever learning, picking over recipe books, travelling, picking up an idea here and there and patch-working flavours. The menu at Arevalito changes twice a day. The food is fresh and hearty.

Carmen was keen to be left free of any foodie labels. Her views about ‘faddy diets’ and trendy ingredients were clear. Her food is born of her mercurial mind and and led by curiosity and her understanding of flavours alone. The only label she and Arevalito’s two other owners, Uki and Luciano, allow is ‘meatless’.

Her girls (she calls them her children) selected for the spark of passion she sees mirrored in them and groomed to carry on the whiff of Carmen’s ideals, are working away in the cramped hot kitchen. One brings us our lunch. Carmen had given direction in Spanish, to ensure my vegan and gluten free diet was glorified. Inspired by a Brazilian dish - Bahiano. I greedily gobbled up a plate of vegetables gleaming with a divine coconut oil and naranja (orange) dressing, flecked with fresh green herbs. Accompanied by a crisp bowl of avocado salad. Around me, locals, mostly drawn out from the population of film and TV studios close by (how the barrio got its name - Palermo Hollywood. I thought it was because it was chic and artsy and filled with tattooed hipsters), dined on doorstep-deep pies and rainbow salads. Carmen told me the story of one guy who ate weekly at the restaurant for 4 years before he realised the menu was devoid of meat! A sure testament to her ability to deliver great food, especially in a country known for its parillas (bbq’s).

In 2013 the cramped space is to be extended. However, Carmen shows no signs of stopping her campaign to serve up food which she translates to me - transports you someplace, and to keep the focus on the kitchen. It is just going to enable Arevalito to reach more, do more. Bread will be baked on premisses and Carmen will have her own space to create. More tables will serve more hungry mouths. Classes to will teach cooking skills. Concentrating on the most basic of ingredients to help cooks to bloom.

Two hours with Carmen Paz flies by. More diners arrive seeking an empty seat. People budge up and more chairs are added around the tables to accommodate the lunchtime crowd. The sun steps up it’s campaign to make my unaccustomed English skin cook. I bid Carmen and Uki (who has now joined us along with her husband to fill their bellies) adios with a warm (and sweaty) embrace, and hop on my bike to join the city bike lane across the street. I don’t know if life will ever bring me back to Buenos Aires. If it does, Arevalito’s home kitchen is sure to be on the top of my list to which return.

Arevalito Facebook
Hours: Mon-Fri 09:00-24:00, Sat 09:00-17:00
Price range: $
Contact: 4776 4252

Buenos Aires - Where to eat Vegan Food [part 1] - dónde encontrar comida vegans en Buenos Aires

December 31, 2012 by India Leigh

A bee had gotten in my bonnet. Sitting in my home in England, scribbling my travel wish list. I began to ponder…Why was a predominately cow consuming country sprouting a growing hub of vegan and vegetarian restaurants? What was the food culture of Argentina and could I uncover it (and devour a portion of it) in a month?

I’d carried out quite extensive research before took my first journey, over 5000 west, to South America. Upon arrival I clutched a list of restaurants to visit. With the ability to say hello and yes and not much else in Spanish tongue. It wasn’t going to be easy getting the answers I sought.

In this article I’m going to begin to showcase the restaurants and their offerings. The quality of food I tried at these places bounced up and down the scale. I offer you a snapshot. A few of these places really got my attention and some of them agreed to answer a (long) list of preguntas (questions) my curious little head was filled with.

For now, here is what my tastebuds made of the meatless dining available in Buenos Aires. Many of the carni restaurants offered plant-based options but I had enough to fill my time (and tummy) with among the vegetarian/vegan/raw food joints that I chose to focus on those (with the exception of one which was the venue for meeting with my Spanish teacher…I’ve listed this one also).

All the places listed have different opening times and days. Check the websites before heading out. Prices are moderate. Based on an entree - between 40-75 ARS pesos / £5-9 / or $8-14 USD

Masamadre

This place had received great reviews on the internet. The owner Frederica has infused community into her colourful little restaurant, on the northern edges of Dorego in Villa Crespo. Over the four weeks I was in Buenos Aires. The cafes and streets around Dorego, the outer limits of Palermo Hollywood, was an area I returned to almost daily. Depending on my mood and chosen activity… writing, people watching or fuelling my body in the late spring sticky heat.

English speaking, Frederica was taking an evening off when i visited, but between me and the two waitresses we, after a fashion, managed to coax, and somewhat invent, a gluten free dish for me to try. The vegan part was easy enough but I parroted ‘sin gluten’ many times as different entrees where pointed at enthusiastically on the menu only for us to find it was ‘con’ (with) gluten and therefore not suitable for me. At these points a collective sigh and eye rolling flitted around our human triangle. Eventually, we agreed on a curry with lentils and coleslaw salad. The chef was very accommodating. But I wonder if I’d made him wary of my ‘intolerances’ resulting in a VERY mildly spiced curry with no visible coconut milk (did he misunderstand no dairy milk to mean coconut milk too?…I’ll never know) and a tad over zealous with the oil. The veggies were fine, al-dente, succulent strips. I did find a few times the spicing of dishes a tad ‘minimalist’. I think this is a national way. Much like eyeballing lots of bright powdered spices in Marrakech but finding their food spicing subtle to say the least. They did very kindly whip me up a little dish of hummus and raw carrot batons. Again, not the best on the block. The service and friendliness of this place was exceptional. I really enjoyed eating there for the experience of that…if not entirely the meal.

Naturaleza Sabia in San Telmo

I would recommend checking out this place when you visit the markets of San Telmo. Domingo (Sunday) and the antique street markets come alive. Drum beats, tango, colourful characters and tourists gather to wander, pick up a bargain or two and relax. Located just a few blocks from the main cobbled street in San Telmo is Naturaleza Sabia. The restaurant is on two floors and has a genteel atmosphere. Cozy yet open. The menu is extensive for a vegetarian, and they can adapt some of their dishes for vegans if you ask. Beware, the day I visited I was very grateful for my Argentinian companion. The staff speak little English so it was a little tricky.
The food is wholesome. Lots of aroz yamani (brown rice), lentil dishes and fresh salads. As a matter of course you get served a ‘cover’ dish, an amuse bouche. We had a delicious glass of curried lentil soup and a rice cake brochette with a broccoli/tahini pate which was flavoursome. Most places in Buenos Aires serve up a milanesa (breaded). Even though it seems everyone knows about ‘sin gluten’ gluten free foods in BA, I didn’t find a libre gluten milanese so it is on my list to recreate in the comforts of my home kitchen.

We were there at lunch ( “el almuerzo.” It is pronounced “el al-MWARE-so.”) for my principales (entree) I opted for the Hamburguesa de lentejas. A sloppy-joes type lentil hamburger, served with a wonderful, almost buttery and nutty quinoa and vegetables salad. It was homely, full of flavour and very filling. I asked for an extra of green sauce (the one they used for the amuse bouche) on the side because I craved it.

The staff were friendly (but take your Spanish dictionary or a fluent friend) and the service was good.

Vegan gluten free brownies with a rich chocolate sauce combine well with the sweet and tart fruits. So good.

Bio Humbolt 2192

I recall Bio was my first eating venture in Buenos Aires. This totally vegan, with a few crudos (raw dishes) restaurant was serving only four other diners when I was there..RIDICULOUSLY early (7pm), according to Argentine time keeping. Hours I tried and failed to adopt as my British stomach likes to have finished eating for the day at a time when Argentines are partaking of a late lunch (6pm) or an afternoon pastry and cafe. Most restaurants are packed between 10 and 11pm. Which, to this British girl, was bordering on insanity! But I guess if you are not hitting the mattress until the wee hours then body clocks are tick toking at a different pace.

I ordered the rice pizza with wok vegetables. The base had a great texture (slightly chewy) and the vegetable topping was fresh and delicately flavoured. Good if you are gluten free, just get the idea of ‘traditional’ pizza out of your head.

Dessert - raw chestnut pie with raspberries. It was quite sweet with a chest nutty flavour (no surprises there). It was just ok.

In an ideal world you’d visit a place a few times to really get a ‘taste’ for it. I’d rate Bio as ‘pleasant’ on my one and only visit.

PICNIC Florida 102

Opened in 2012 as a fast food vegetarian restaurant, ready to serve breakfast and lunches Downtown. Their ethos is green and extends to their furnishes and low-energy lighting. The first fast food vegan restaurant in Buenos Aires serving healthy salads, wraps, sandwiches entrees and a range of smoothies and muffins, owned by an Argentine-Swedish couple.
I really wanted to like this place. I encountered some challenges (I wish my mastery of the Spanish language was up a few levels!) trying to get a raw food lunch and could only have the exact options displayed ( I usually like the freedom to mix things up). The really helpful manageress told me that the foods are mostly pre-prepared and not interchangeable, which I found surprising as it took 15 minutes for my meal to come.
I dined on a bowl of quinoa and vegetables with dips and a side of papatas (taters). The potatoes could have benefitted from some of seasoning from the over-salted quinoa. It was ok. Not great. Just ok. Not the sort of gastronomy that would turn a carnivore. The place was busy enough. Perhaps I chose the wrong dish.
The salads looked fresh. Situated on Florida, not far from the Casa Roja (the Presidential home) and lengthy shopping street, the huge windows make it a good place to people watch. As with a few of the places I visited in Buenos Aires, I thought they will probably benefit with the gift of hindsight, and improve their flavours as plant-based dining evolves in the capital.

Kensho El salvador 5783, Palermo

Sadly, I only got to eat here twice, and only once for dinner. The other time was a quick (and desperate) late night dash (before catching my flight home) for dessert and and gloriously chocolately cardamon smoothie and ANOTHER to take to eat at the airport, the ‘James Brownie’ (many of Chef Maximo’s dishes have humorous titles..the website has an English version too) a fudgy, thick ooey-gooey, gluten free, vegan brownie made with quinoa and flax. It was crazy, CRAZY good. Like a sweet, richly fragrant chocolate pillow! Kensho kept popping up at green markets in Palermo Woods and at an debut Food Festival (Masticar) and each time I grabbed a thick slick of cacao HEAVEN. Aside from that, the raw picada lunch I sampled was not only a visual treat but an opportunity to taste a sample food palate of Chef Maximo Cabrera’s culinary creativeness. My chosen dish did flavour like a rodeo! Pink sauerkraut, spice dusted, raw cashew falafel, pate, nut cheese and a avocado based soup. My tastebuds were dancing! The textures, seasonings and spices were perfectly balanced, and redolent of the full taste experience of their cooked cousins. The star of the platter was the smokey, intense ‘chorizo’. One word. AMAZING.

Maximo started out as a Biologist and his cooking skills are self taught. He was one of the first puerto cerradas (open door) dining experiences in the city, when his home regularly invited diners to experience his culinary inventiveness…..and now with the opening of his classy restaurant in the epicentre of Palermo Hollywood, his reputation is skyrocketing.

It was thrilling to see him at on stage at Feria Masticar 2012 too, a predominantly carnivorous take on food, as not only one of the free classes on offer, but also as one of the founders of the festival! A great achievement, and I am sure a sign of the turning tides of Argentinian cuisine. Another raw food chef, Diego Castro appeared on one of South America’s cooking shows - Utilisima. Which was exciting in itself, but also because I’d chatted to him at a festival the previous day without knowledge of his status in the Argentine cooking world.

b-blue

I had to mention this cafe, situated in the heart of the uber chic Palermo Soho. It was where I hung out and had my Spanish lessons three times a week. It isn’t vegan but there are vegan options. I like the atmosphere and the background music was good. The owners also have an organic blueberry farm (hence the name) and often popped little dishes of tiny blueberries at our tables.
I ordered this spinach salad with almonds and asado berenjana (roasted aubergine) served with a blueberry vinaigrette. Simple and perfect. Delicioso!

Buenos Aires will certainly NOT leave any vegan or gluten free body go hungry. In the past two years gluten free options and labelling has come into force. Perhaps not everyone I spoke to knew what a vegan was but they all understood ‘sin TACC’ or ‘sin gluten’. I wonder how long it will be before the world discovers why, for sure, these food intollerances are now so part of our edible society.

In my next article I will be treating you to some interviews and small vignettes I had the pleasure to enjoy making with three more vegan eateries who are causing quite a stir in various ways in Buenos Aires. Join me then.

*******
Hey, and please share with us in the comments below, your food jaunts to Buenos Aires should you go, or indeed are already there. It is thanks to a few notable bloggers, along with my pounding the streets and chatting to locals that I managed to piece together my culinary pathway in BA.

Bridges & Balloons - a couple from Britain who have set off on a journey where there feet and curiosity takes them. Working as they go.

Hungry Hungry Hippie - speaks for itself.

Pick Up the Fork - not a plant based dining blog but she has a great ‘vegetarian’ dining post.

Be well,

India xx

A Vegan Travelling In Buenos Aires

November 27, 2012 by India Leigh

Travelling. Learning to dance with Buenos Aires [with photos]

Lunes Noviembre 19th, 2012

Argentina has been frustrating for me. My progress, like a Tango, forward back, forward back. A side step here and there. Argentina is the man. My body alert to his warmth. My feet react to his. I was as autonomous as the Capital. Now I’m gripped in its veins.

It feel uncomfortable. My limit is finding its edge. Will it extend further than I thought?

I realize now, I’ve been seeking something that has no place here. My eyes were blind to the spirit of the city, as I fought to feel the heartbeat of its people. Buenos Aires is holding time, clear in its intentions. ‘Follow’ it says, don’t lead.

I give in..up! It is not San Francisco. I cannot dance with Argentina whilst my heart is settled at the feet of another. It is breaking me down. Words, accents fall about my ears like the springtime violet Jacaranda blossoms. I understand little.

In the last week I have been forced into intense situations. Forced to make myself understood. I’ve used flailing hand gestures, drawing pictures in the warm air around me, eye brows frowning and raising as my eyes grapple to reach connection, plead for understanding. My apartment keys broke in my lock. Bundy, the petit, azur-eyed lady who brings me from my sleep each morning, as her broom sweeps the single path through the patch of green beside our building. Her face inscribed over the years with her goodly actions. As I implored her to understand. ‘no, key, ho llegar!‘ She let me take her hand and guide her up the stone steps to my door. I pushed the metal back and forth, rapidly in the bronze lock. ‘no entrar!‘ ‘it no work!’. A few moments of us, eager with our gestures. She took my hand. We walked from the building, down into the street. We waited as the traffic sped from right and left. The green walking man lit. I felt her move. We smiled, we shook our heads. I rose up my shoulders and showed the open sky my palms. We smiled, again. Safely across, we entered a male domain. Shelves of small boxes. Layers of dust. Bronze and silver keys and hefty locks strung all about. Five minutes of babbled conversation between a stocky guy with hair like an Irish setter, he looked back and forth. From me to her. A black briefcase was lifted to the counter. Opened. His wiry hair disappeared behind the lid. A clinking of metal. A nod of satisfaction. The lid folded. The locks thumbed in stereo. We were off again. Now three. We traversed the black and white stripes on the tarmac, as our walking time was counted down on the crossing. I smiled to my left. To my right. I lifted my shoulders laughing then drawing my hands to fists to gesture rubbing my eyes. Two arms from different bodies reached to gently pat my bare shoulders. There, there. A wordless language.

After much banging and oiling the door opens to my apartment. Sigh! Kisses and hugs all around. This doesn’t seem much of a stretch into intimacy in a country where strangers naturally greet with a planted kiss.

I fire up my computer and Google Translate lights my screen. I type ‘hero’ in English and it spits out the Spanish equivalent. He smiles. His oil stained fingers clumsily search the keys. D.U.L.C.E forms in type on the interface. I need not seek the translation to my native tongue. SWEET. We both smile. He leaves, furnished with a few $ pesos. Bundy opens her arms full width. I’m drawn in for another hug.

Two days later. After a failed and attempt to buy a bike from Craigslist Buenos Aires (bunch of chancers! selling a bike with a flat and buckled tyre), I walk thirty blocks, sticking as close to marble and stone buildings as I could, seeking shade. The Bicicleta Naranja (The Orange Bicycle) rental and city-tour tienda (store). After ten minutes of scant Spanish and a flourish of pink pesos, I’m proudly riding my clanking, rickety cruiser down the cycle lane. Happy as a clam in the ocean. The next day, I arrange to meet a friend I’ve made from the gimnasio and we take off along the park to bike the few short miles San Telmo.

San Telmo is the barrio where the tourist flock to see the legendary tango, pounded onto cobbled streets. It is heaving!

It was Sunday. All the fun happens along one long and narrow street. It is basically a HUGE street market. Mostly curios and object d’art, displayed neatly upon sheets on the floor. The buildings flanking the street are old, crumbling mixture of art deco and neo-classical splendor. Narrow entrances that stretch back for many metres. My Argentinian friend and I were particularly taken with an building such as this. The small entrance opened onto a checker board stone floor, worn from years of footsteps and probably many nights of impassioned dancing. Off it were about 20 little rooms, each one owned by

1000’s of keys that had no mate. Creepy faced antique dolls with matted hair, bottles, jars, thimbles, wooden shoe-makers blocks, and delicate hanging lace. My friend was kindly teaching me how to use my new camera. I’d been overwhelmed upon arriving in Buenos Aires. The heat, the new language, new place to bed down, shops full of everything and nothing that I recognized. Except wooden crates brimming with bright, fresh vegetables (veduras). Thankfully, these are universal, mostly. Therefore, the thought of then in addition to this, crashing on into learning how to work a camera with dials and buttons and a menu that was foreign to me, would have certainly crushed me. I snapped like fury. At anything and everything. Ten minutes alone were spent getting shot after shot of years old siphon bottles. The Argentines drink more soda than anything else according to the little flyer the market holder gave me.

I grew more and more frustrated, my trusty point and click was sadly missed. We knew each other, it did what I wanted. This new hefty beast appeared limiting.

We found a ‘natural’ restaurant along one of the side streets. It was like a human avery inside. A light filled space for people to perch. At last I had a decent meal. I was thankful for my friend who painstakingly read out every item on the menu. Satiated I practiced a little Spanish… ‘Muy rico’ I offered, with a confirmatory, universal thumbs up.

Then Argentina struck me again. I had beamed happily as we completed our walking circle, my heart skipping a little as I saw my new precious orange friend. My friend waited patiently by with her bike as I set my bag down to hunt in its cavernous space for my lock key. I hunted again. Hands feeling into every corner. I spilled the contents of my bag on to the dusty pavement. Bits of paper with fading scribbles, receipts, train tickets, purse, the comb I never use, apartment keys…but no lock key!!!

I was frantic. Aghast at the air head I’d been. What was it with me and locks in this country? Was it a sign? Oh, no! Mierda!

My curious happy glow slowly dulled as we went back to every place we’d visited. All I cared about was finding the single key, strung on the dirty orange rope. Nothing. NADA!

I carried my heavy heart back to the underground. I apologized to my friend for ‘ruining’ the day. She shook her head and replied in the softest of accents, that would have charmed a hardest of hearts…‘shit happens!’

I’m like a child, totally spent at the end of each day. I fall heavily, into bed when most Argentinian’s are going out to play. I don’t know how they do it. Clubs get ‘started’ at 3am. Their afternoon turns to evening at nine. 3 hours after we say the day is drawing to an end. At 2am, families walk the streets slurping on creamy, cold helados (ice-creams) when most Brits are tucked up in bed. Most days I have forgotten something. One day I walked out of the house to the other side of town to a cute, hipster cafe, to get some writing done and my bag contained the power lead, my camera was in there and my purse. Whoop! But the computer?! at home on the sofa in its case.

Hopefully, my head will regroup sometime soon and natural flow and competence will be resumed (with a few hundred Spanish words..the ability to read as well as a Spanish kindergarten kid, and many happy moments to look back on).

Traveling, like learning something new is not always all skittles and roses. It can be hard to adjust. The newness daunting. The pull to seek ‘sameness’ can be all too great. It takes experience to know it really is ‘all good’. When the whole picture can be viewed (enter Ms. Hindsight!).

My purse is $60 pesos for a new lock. I’m still intent on enjoying my time.

Onwards

Travelling. Learning to dance with Buenos Aires [with photos]

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