Hola Buenos Aires!!!

Buenos Aires!  It's true what they say about the city.  You could be in Europe: the people look like a mixture of German, Italian and Spanish, the streets from the picturesque boulevards and leafy suburbs could easily found be in one of the major Spanish cities.

I landed in in the international airport, Pistarini, a good 40 km away from my destination, Palermo Soho. I chose to stay in this district because of its' reputation for cool, full of the best restaurants, bars, parks, galleries and interesting boutiques. The porteños (the name for the local BA residents) flock to this area all hours and it truly comes into its own after midday and stays lively until the early hours of the morning.

Palermo Soho, along with Palermo Hollywood, are the trendier sections of the largest barrio of Buenos Aires, Palermo. Old Spanish houses and converted warehouses now house the new businesses and hipster hangouts. It's not exactly the most historical of areas but has the vibe of Soho (ergo the name) in New York City or Shoreditch in London. It's also full of street art, which just adds to its trendy atmosphere and makes for interesting strolls.

The latest craze is burgers (like most of the large fashionable cities) and various kinds of Italian ice cream parlours. If you like caramelised condensed milk (hello sticky toffee pudding lovers), look no further than dulce de leche.  I had it as a spread on my croissant for breakfast and it is amazingly good as an ice cream.  It's everywhere! Great if you are trying to put on weight.

Fernet is a popular tipple here. It's an Italian type of amaro, a bitter, aromatic spirit.  They normally serve it with coca cola, which makes it quite sweet.  With grapefruit juice, it's surprisingly pleasant. A couple of these cocktails and you'll be singing in the street.

One thing everyone talks about is Argentinian steak.  A local chef recommended restaurant Don Julio for the best local steak.  I went at 7 (normal dining time is 9/10 pm) and put myself on the waitlist. It was a two hour wait but well worth it.  The steak was pretty good, full of flavour with a wonderful texture (it's all that marbled fat).  Add a couple of glasses of Malbec, and its a pretty unforgettable dining experience. Just beware, the portions are huge, even for greedy person like myself!

Tomorrow, I'm off to the polo.  Ellerstina is playing against La Dolfina.  Frankly, I have no idea but a friend said one shouldn't miss the best polo match Argentina can offer. I'll tell you all about it in tomorrow's blog.