Photo by Beatrice Murch

Looking for a hip, modern and exotically delicious new restaurant to try in Buenos Aires? Cilantro, founded by three Israeli immigrants, puts a whole new spin on Argentine dining.

Buenos Aires’ new fusion craze can be difficult for restaurants to pull off, but Cilantro blends flavours from around the world and provides a menu that will satisfy any palette.

Founded by three Israeli immigrants, Cilantro combines sushi rolls, quirky cocktails and tasty entrées to create a unique yet affordable menu in its quaint Recoleta/ Barrio Norte location (Anchorena 1122). Drinks range from $10 to $22, sushi is $16, and don’t expect to pay more than $30 for a main dish.

The red painted walls with funky designs and colourful bar add a spicy contemporary vibe to the restaurant, as well as the chic waiters. Around 11pm, the lights dim down and music turns up, giving more of a trendy bar feel to the restaurant.

Cilantro provides two happy hours; from its opening at 6pm to 9:30pm for the early birds, and from 1:30am until closing for the bar hoppers and party crowd. Don’t miss jazz nights on Wednesdays, Cilantro’s most popular night to enjoy some appetizers and cocktails with live music. If you’re going for drinks, be sure to try the Japanese Mojito, made with melon flavors, or the Limón Meringue, with lemon peels and vanilla vodka.

Photo by Beatrice Murch

The menu ranges from sushi and seafood to pasta, sandwiches, and delicious entrées. Their light, tasty version of special chicken with cream sauce, mashed potatoes and vegetables demonstrates chef Elyada Cohen’s knack for chic presentation and exquisite flavor.

Cilantro’s distinctive style comes its unique history. All three founders from Tel Aviv fell in love with Buenos Aires when they visited and decided to establish their own restaurant in the heart of Latin America.

Eli Cohen, 33, left his job as a lawyer and embarked on a journey to South America. He met an Argentine woman in Bariloche, a Spanish teacher, who fell in love with him when she saw him cook. He came up with the idea for Cilantro and founded the restaurant in Buenos Aires two years later.

Avidan Kimchi, 34-year-old bartender and gourmet expert, studied gastronomy and business management in Israel, and worked at numerous bars and restaurants in Tel Aviv, including the well-known Shalvata. He then left Israel to travel the world and study the gastronomy of other cultures, such as Thailand, India, the Philippines, Nepal, Cambodia and others. He met Cohen back in Tel Aviv, who told him about his idea for Cilantro, and after only a month of getting to know Buenos Aires Kimchi was sold.

The third, Morris Mayzel, 45, ran the successful Lola restaurant in Tel Aviv for 20 years and fell in love with an Argentine traveller. The two of them journeyed to Buenos Aires and met up with friend Kimchi, who proposed the idea to Mayzel. The idea of living in the wonderful city of Buenos Aires with the love of his life convinced Mayzel to join the two men as the restaurateur.

Come see what these men have created; an appetising menu and chic atmosphere affordable for its young audience.

Photo by David Vexelman

It is rather bitter sweet that this time last year it snowed in Buenos Aires for the first time in yonks but this year we are enjoying long, sunny days in the middle of winter. It is delightful to be wallowing in the sunshine rather than trembling in the cold but it is also a sad sign of the state of our planet today. I should now be saying that I decided to head to an eco-friendly restaurant to tell you about but having reviewed a vegan restaurant a while ago, I think you can wait.

Osaka is the most difficult restaurant to get into in town at the moment and so I jumped up and down for joy when I discovered one of the former owners had jumped ship to open his own restaurant. In fact I even started recommending it to folk before I had been.

Ooops.

Sipan is a rather awkward place – in a shopping gallery in town it has a small restaurant and bar area on one side of the passageway, the kitchen on the other side and some tables in the corridor for fun. Doesn’t quite work. It has some interesting art on the walls but then the coasters are made of lime green flimsy paper and have Guía Oleo stamped all over them. Don’t get me wrong as I am a big Guía Oleo fan but pleeeeease – no need to let them into your restaurant in such a garish way.

Photo by David Vexelman

Hey ho thought I – Osaka doesn’t have the best interior but it has astonishingly good food so I was still excited. Sipan is a mix of Peru, Japan and Cantonese and we started with some hangover quenching soup – large bowls of steaming liquid appeared. The miso was good but such a massive bowl needed a bit of tofu floating around in it. I had wan ton soup which was ok but the wan tons were a bit chewy and raw – I rather prefer the Shi Yuan version for $8.

This was followed by some salmon tiraditos with passion fruit and crispy bits – an Osaka classic which sadly in Sipan was served using fatty salmon and left an aftertaste a bit like washing up liquid in your mouth. Disappointing. Shrimp and avocado salad came with breaded shrimp, nice dipping sauce but no dressing on the pile of crunchy leaves.

Photo by David Vexelman

I felt bad comparing Sipan so much to t’other eatery and so we ordered a wok dish to try – which I never do in Osaka as the raw fish things are so good. What was described as a tantalising suckling pig dish, tasted like a standard student pork stir fry – too much soya sauce and that odd taste like you are in fact eating part of the frying pan. Heffalumps quite frankly.

The drinks were ok – pisco martinis being the most popular. We got to pudding only to discover the only option on offer today was passion fruit ice cream – it was pleasant but not particularly wow.

The waiter was quite peculiar and didn’t seem to understand anything we said and while our Spanish is not perfecto myself and company for this outing have been living here for long enough to be able to make ourselves understood in restaurants.

Indulgently, I feel rather sorry for myself that this restaurant didn’t live up to expectations. Maybe I built Sipan up too much before going. Maybe I will try again.

Onwards and upwards – and in my case yehoooo, after a good session of being battered by the charming stewards on American Airlines, I will be munching on dim sum in the depths of Manhattan.

Sipan Cocina Peruana & Pisco Bar, Paraguay 624, tel 4315 0763. Open Monday-Saturday for lunch and dinner. For more info visit www.sipan.com.ar

My Favourite dish – miso soup?

Some people will love – the bizarre layout

Most likely to be sitting next to – disappointed Osaka fans…

Likely to spend – $70