Sosta
Having been intrigued by that fairly new Argentinean restaurant, Sosta, on Rundle St. for quite a while now we decided to finally try it out. Judging how busy the place was by the time we arrived I'd have to say bookings are essential. The restaurant's decor was cosy and rustic with lovely dark wood panelling. There were some interesting if a bit abstract paintings around the place with dark crimson tones standing out, probably something to do with it being a steak house and all.
For entrees we had some panna espanol and what was basically a paella/risotto dish with chorizos. The panna espanol was an interesting take on garlic bread, with a rich garlic tomato sauce instead of the usual garlic butter/oil, very delicious. The chorizo dish consisted of chorizo sausages cooked with various flavourings on a bed of rice. It was rich but oh so flavoursome, the delicate spicing of the chorizo combining being highlighted by its companion ingredients.
The wine we brought along from Vintage Cellars was a lovely Italian wine, the 1997 Illuminati Zanna Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Vecchio. This basically means old/aged Montepulciano wine from Illuminati's Zanna vineyard in the Abruzzo region. The Abruzzo region on the Adriatic coast of Italy has been steadily gaining acclaim in Australia and Montepulciano seems to be one of its specialities.
Judging from this fine example of Abruzzo wine it is well deserved acclaim. The wine was basically Italy in a bottle: earthy, smooth and rich. On the nose it was dark sweet things, think raisins, chocolate and dark fruits. There were also lovely overtones of earth and spice on the bouquet with a hint of that vanilla from oak.
In the mouth the wine was just bursting with all the flavours the nose promised and the tannins were delightfully smooth. The silky richness of the wine perfectly complemented the mains. Main courses at Sosta's, as with any Argentinean restaurant, can be summed up as meat and more meat. Whilst I did notice some seafood dishes that caught my fancy, the menu on the whole was focussed on a variety of meats that have been slowly grilled to perfection.
I decided to go for the beef fillet served with a mushroom sauce, a relatively straighforward dish done superbly by the folk at Sosta. The fillet, which I ordered medium rare, was cooked to perfection. It was wonderfully tender, with a melt-in-your-mouth quality, and was not oozing blood like some steaks I've had before. The mushroom sauce had a lovely rich earthy flavour, the trinity of the steak, sauce and wine just marrying perfectly.
I had a try of my dining companion's goat dish, which was what can best described as a casserole of goat meat and vegetables. The meat and vegetables were cooked to perfection, again demonstrating the wonderful ability and judgement of the kitchen. Whilst the dish was nice enough, it lacked a certain richness and depth of flavour although any dish would have been hard pressed to match the rich flavours of the steak I had.
Both dishes were of a very generous size and served with a good selection of vegetables. We were both unable to finish off our mains as delicious as they were which was disappointing as they had a very tempting desserts menu. I guess the lesson to be learnt is to avoid entrees if you want to fit in a grill and dessert. Having said that there was a very interesting entree menu and there were other mains dishes not involving grilled meat that were intriguing.
Sosta's is a lively place to dine, being located on one of Adelaide's main entertainment strips. There was an interesting selection of what I'm guessing is Argentinean inspired music playing. Although the love of Rundle St establishments for concrete floors and the number of diners in a relatively cosy place did make it a bit difficult to carry on a conversation. Overall a lovely place with the best steak I've had so far, definitely one of the top places for grilled meats.
For entrees we had some panna espanol and what was basically a paella/risotto dish with chorizos. The panna espanol was an interesting take on garlic bread, with a rich garlic tomato sauce instead of the usual garlic butter/oil, very delicious. The chorizo dish consisted of chorizo sausages cooked with various flavourings on a bed of rice. It was rich but oh so flavoursome, the delicate spicing of the chorizo combining being highlighted by its companion ingredients.
The wine we brought along from Vintage Cellars was a lovely Italian wine, the 1997 Illuminati Zanna Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Vecchio. This basically means old/aged Montepulciano wine from Illuminati's Zanna vineyard in the Abruzzo region. The Abruzzo region on the Adriatic coast of Italy has been steadily gaining acclaim in Australia and Montepulciano seems to be one of its specialities.
Judging from this fine example of Abruzzo wine it is well deserved acclaim. The wine was basically Italy in a bottle: earthy, smooth and rich. On the nose it was dark sweet things, think raisins, chocolate and dark fruits. There were also lovely overtones of earth and spice on the bouquet with a hint of that vanilla from oak.
In the mouth the wine was just bursting with all the flavours the nose promised and the tannins were delightfully smooth. The silky richness of the wine perfectly complemented the mains. Main courses at Sosta's, as with any Argentinean restaurant, can be summed up as meat and more meat. Whilst I did notice some seafood dishes that caught my fancy, the menu on the whole was focussed on a variety of meats that have been slowly grilled to perfection.
I decided to go for the beef fillet served with a mushroom sauce, a relatively straighforward dish done superbly by the folk at Sosta. The fillet, which I ordered medium rare, was cooked to perfection. It was wonderfully tender, with a melt-in-your-mouth quality, and was not oozing blood like some steaks I've had before. The mushroom sauce had a lovely rich earthy flavour, the trinity of the steak, sauce and wine just marrying perfectly.
I had a try of my dining companion's goat dish, which was what can best described as a casserole of goat meat and vegetables. The meat and vegetables were cooked to perfection, again demonstrating the wonderful ability and judgement of the kitchen. Whilst the dish was nice enough, it lacked a certain richness and depth of flavour although any dish would have been hard pressed to match the rich flavours of the steak I had.
Both dishes were of a very generous size and served with a good selection of vegetables. We were both unable to finish off our mains as delicious as they were which was disappointing as they had a very tempting desserts menu. I guess the lesson to be learnt is to avoid entrees if you want to fit in a grill and dessert. Having said that there was a very interesting entree menu and there were other mains dishes not involving grilled meat that were intriguing.
Sosta's is a lively place to dine, being located on one of Adelaide's main entertainment strips. There was an interesting selection of what I'm guessing is Argentinean inspired music playing. Although the love of Rundle St establishments for concrete floors and the number of diners in a relatively cosy place did make it a bit difficult to carry on a conversation. Overall a lovely place with the best steak I've had so far, definitely one of the top places for grilled meats.
Labels: restaurants, wines
posted by Forrest Rivers at 22:02
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