Celebrations

By Helen Greenwood
April 22, 2006
Page 1 and 2

Amid cow horns, bells and Peruvian kitsch, grilled meat comes into its own.

Address 470 Parramatta Rd, Petersham

Phone (02) 9560 0943

Style Restaurants

Cuisine Latin American/Caribbean

Hours Mon-Fri, 5.30-10pm; Sat, 4-11pm; Sun, 2-9pm

Details Licensed, BYO

Payment Cash

DigestFood Major meat appeal. Thisis honest, home-style Peruvian char-grilling.
Service Our hostess says "fantastic"a lot and is quick to arrivewhen we need her.
Atmosphere Delirious decor, from the faux stucco to the horned ornaments and neon signs.
Value Unbelievable. $25 a head and cash only. You can eat cheaper from Monday to Thursday.

We've parked a distance away from our destination, La Parrillada, because the restaurant, near Norton Street, is in a no-car zone.

So it's past the bridal shop, past the Birkenstock Soul shop and past the anarchist shop until we reach the blazing neon signs and hand-made posters inviting us to either try the fresh meat or eat all we want on Monday to Thursday nights for $19.90.

We pass through the door into a celebration of Peruvian culture. I could spend ages on the heartfelt, overwrought decorations that render this restaurant so joyous. A huge, dark-stained timber bar has a Persian runner rug in front. Cattle horns hang over it; so do large gold bells. Behind, the shelves shimmer with bottles of wine and spirits, bright green, quivering lava lamps, metal plaques and wooden clocks. I can't be sure I haven't left something out.

The walls are topped with faux stucco pelmets strung with fairy lights. Colourful plates bearing scenes hang at head height, along with more horns above. A mirror ball throws rays of light from the back of the room and over the kitchen is a sign saying "FIFA 2006, Go Australia".

Some people might think it kitsch, but I see love and dedication. We sink into dining chairs covered in gold velvet and look at the short, shiny, laminated menu. There are two kinds of mixed grill, La Parrillada and La Parrillada deluxe (mixed grill in Spanish), which our hostess in the shiny blue dress advises are for two and four people, respectively.

There are two entrees and two cuts of steak, New York and T-bone, both weighing in at 400 grams, and a chicken "marinated for 24 hours". We order the sausage and chips entree, the La Parrillada deluxe and the chicken to share. "Fantastic," our hostess says. I'm relieved that we've brought a bottle of Barbera D'Alba because only two reds - one from Wolf Blass and one from Penfolds - are on offer.

Four young women order the Inca Kola and burst into laughter when it pours out bright yellow and tastes like creaming soda. (We ordered it, too.) Though the drink is almost a South American cultural icon, close inspection reveals it's made by the ubiquitous global cola company.

A cow bell rings from the kitchen and everything, including more chips, dips and a bowl of salad, comes out at once. The mixed grill is a pile of meat over a tray of glowing charcoal. A pork loin, pork ribs, a couple of butterflied, short, fat sausages and two large, thin T-bones are already cooked to medium. What we don't realise is they continue to cook as we help ourselves to the sausage and chips, which turn out to be exactly that. Smoky, thin sausage garnishes the bowl of chips and there are two dips, one green and mild, the other red-orange and hot. We unanimously pick the hotter as the better one. We keep spearing the mound of meat, yet it doesn't diminish that quickly. The ribs start to blacken at the edges, deliciously so to my taste, the T-bone gets a bit dry and the poor pork cutlet suffers the most.

Still, we don't stop because the meat is good and the charcoal aroma and character are a spur. We pause for breath and salad.

We've reached the same conclusion. Next time, we'll order the meat rare, not medium, and the minute the parrillada arrives, we'll haul the bits we fancy off the grill and onto our plates.

Refreshed by iceberg lettuce and a light, sweet vinegar dressing, we tear apart the blackened half-chicken. It is, as the ad used to say, finger-lickin' good. Crisp skin and firm flesh, tangy and smoky and caramelised.

Make no mistake, though. While La Parrillada's food is fresh and cooked with pride, there's nothing sophisticated about this place. Our desserts, leche asado (caramel custard) and crema volteado (an upside-down caramel cake), are as perfunctory as the wine list.

But there's a grace here that charms me, like the red neon sign saying "Thank You" above the door. Either you will embrace the charcoal or you won't, and if you're a meat-eater, chances are you will.