Amanda 's reviews
Review of Buen Ayre
28 Oct 07, 17:58
The Best Steak in London x3 
I went to Beun Ayre based solely on the two reviews above. I'd seen it a couple of times walking through Broadway Market and I was intrigued. Since it was payday, I thought what better way to celebrate than with a nice meal with my boyfriend after a long week at work.
We had a reservation for 9pm and arrived slightly early to find a very empty restaurant. Within ten minutes the place was full to the brim. As it was, we had to get the high up table because when I emailed on Monday to book it was one of two left.
We both ordered steaks - the 14oz sirloin for him and the 10oz fillet for me. We followed Barnaby's recommendations - having the bread and the brilliant blue cheese butter as a starter, only ordering one portion of chips and a salad, and choosing the Malbec. It was very wise advice!
The steaks were brilliant. Really. I wasn't so keen on the nut/leaf salad and butter beans that came with it but it wasn't the end of the world. I'd possibly skip ordering a salad off the menu extra but I preferred the simple combination of lettuce/tomato to what appeared with the steak. Chips were wonderful and let's face it - what is a steak without it. I was slightly confused by the oil, chilli and herb mixture that came with the steaks - tasted a bit like salad dressing to me (and maybe it was!)
By the end of all that, I was stuffed! My boyfriend ordered a bread pudding for dessert which came as a cold dish. I managed to have a few bites but it was nothing particularly special.
Service was ok but I felt at times they weren't as friendly or attentive as they could have been. Price-wise, it was very reasonable - two of the priciest mains, two side dishes, a dessert, some bread, sparkling water and a bottle of wine working out to about £30 each. For steak of that quality it was brilliant.
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