Tucked away in the heart of Old Taipa village is the charmingly cozy 25-seat restaurant El Gaucho. Billed as an Argentinian BBQ and Pizzeria, it also serves a selection of ‘picada’, a type of tapas, appetizers or snacks, eaten in Argentina, usually accompanied by wine.
Chef Patron of El Gaucho is Jesus Diaz, a man with a deep love for cooking and a passion for making people happy by serving them great food. With Spanish and Italian parents, he was born in Argentina where “60 percent of the people come from Italy”. Hence pizza is very deeply imbedded in the cuisine culture there. As a young man he trained as a pizza cook and was so good at his trade that he began training others in the secrets and skills of making the finest pizza dough. This took him traveling to Italy and New Zealand, and for 12 years he settled in Japan. Then in 2010 “Macau chose me” he smiles, and he came to work as the manager of a Thai restaurant.
Enjoyable while it lasted, but somewhat incongruous to his heritage and expertise, several of his customers encouraged him to open his own restaurant. Jesus set about finding a suitable space and was fortunate to come across a ground floor corner spot in Taipa Village, where there is a constant flow of pedestrian traffic, and even some space for some tables and chairs outside.
The word ‘picada’ in Argentina is used to mean ‘chopped’, probably referring to how the food is served. The different picada tend to be small pieces of food placed in several small bowls or plates. It gives guests something to nibble on as a snack with a glass of wine, or to prepare their taste buds for the main course ahead.
Empanadas – beef or pork – are a hot favourite at El Guacho. These are baked triangles of thin pizza dough filled with deliciously flavoured minced meat, and a squeeze of fresh lemon on top.
Popular amongst regulars is the pumpkin salad – tender pieces of baked pumpkin mixed with finely chopped boiled egg. Jesus explains that this is best matched with white wine.
If you love cheese, warm melted cheese that is, Jesus’ grilled provoleta is a must-have. Provoleta is semi-hard white cheese in cylindrical form. For picada it is sliced about 2cm thick and cooked on the grill until melted with a crispy exterior. Both sides are typically seasoned with a generous amount of cracked black pepper and flakes of oregano. Jesus’ recipe calls for a dollop of chimichurri sauce served on top. An Argentinean staple, chimichurri is made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano and white or red wine vinegar. Additional flavourings such as coriander, paprika, cumin, thyme, lemon, and bay leaf may also be included.
Where does Jesus get his cheese from? “Ah, that’s one of my secrets!” he exclaims.
Another El Guacho secret is the balsamic syrup that Jesus uses in his salad marinades. Mapuche Patagonia Salad is zucchini, eggplant and paprika, stewed lightly with tomato and his balsamic reduction. The En salada is finer chopped pieces of cooked eggplant, zucchini fresh mozzarella cheese and chopped tomato marinated in olive oil, garlic and balsamic syrup, served on pieces of crunchy bread – light, airy and with a wonderfully crunchy exterior, perfect for picada.
An ideal accompaniment for picadas is of course a nice drop of wine, and this little restaurant serves mostly wine from Argentina, which predominantly uses Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varieties. The most popular are Amancaya Gran Reserva 2009, Altos del Plata 2011, and Bodega Norton Reserva 2008.
El Gaucho is also becoming well-known for its delicious pizzas, and from May will offer a happy hour during the afternoons (3 – 6pm) with a wider selection of picada. Jesus will also start to serve set lunches, focusing on fresh-made pasta – gnocchi, ravioli, tagliatelle and the like – but if you want to get a seat, it is important to book ahead.
El Gaucho
Rua Direita Carlos Eugenio, No. 135
Edif Kin Wai Garden, Loja A R/C,
Taipa Village
+853 2882 7015
Suzanne Watkinson is Managing Director of property company Ambiente Macau. A trained chef and a hotel and club manager in her previous life, she is a regular contributor to Macau CLOSER on food and beverage personalities and events in Macau.
