Unik

I haven't written about a restaurant in a while, though there have been a few that deserve reviewing.  I'll skip forward to our most recent discovery, Unik, which is intended to be Unico (unique), however a restaurant named Unico already exists in Buenos Aires, thus, the name was shortened. We found a favorable review in the lastest issue of TimeOut, our recent magazine find that has become a bit of a bible for us.  If you live in or are visiting Buenos Aires, buy an issue of Time Out.  It's better than any tour book on the market.

We had a 9:30pm reservation at Unik (Soler 5132: 4772-2230, Palermo Soho) and we arrived just as the restaurant was starting to fill up. This is one of the more interesting looking restaurants I've seen, it is bright without being awkward, the decor mixes modern design and retro seating (all of the chairs are different, ranging from barber's chairs to rolling office chairs) and the kitchen is clean, quiet and completely open to the public's view. One of the most interesting features of the place is that the back wall is all glass with a large green neon sign spelling "BadabOOm". I don't understand it, but I like it all the same.

Our table was visited by a few different waiters, along with one particular man that took our order and provided a bit of detail about the restaurant and recommendations off of the menu.  I'm not convinced that this was our waiter, because he was clearly French and dressed differently than the rest of the staff. He was very knowledgeable about the dishes and gave us quite a few solid recommendations.

Yummy smoked butter

Our meal began with a delicious basket of homemade bread and a smoked butter that I could have licked from the bowl. This same smoked butter showed up in a few other dishes; as a condiment to mashed potatoes or as an additive to the mushroom appetizer, and it was tasty wherever it showed up.

The appetizers were small, though a perfect size for each of us to order our own. I thoroughly enjoyed my mushroom sampler appetizer, though I think the best-appetizer prize goes to Jon, who ordered the slow-cooked egg with crispy potatoes.  I'm not much of an egg person, but the crispy potatoes combined with the slightly cooked pancetta was a combination that I would go back for.  It was outstanding.

Best app of the night - egg + potatoes + pancetta = amazing

One of our friends ordered the shrimp appetizer that was served with king crab (a rarity in this city) and tomato gazpacho.  Our friends were gracious enough to let me photograph all of their food as well.

Our meals were outstanding, and I left the restaurant feeling satisfied but not stuffed - which is unusual with all of the heavy food and large portions usually found in restaurants.

Jon ordered the steak, which was good, though the highlight of his plate for me was the smoked butter in his mashed potatoes. I have to figure out how they made that butter...

The other interesting entree option was the lamb, which slow cooked and tender. Not a commonly served item, and even less commonly served well.

After looking at the dessert menu, we both decided on the flourless  chocolate cake with praline ice cream dessert, which was exactly as it sounds.  The ice cream was accompanied by a lighter chocolate item, they were my favorites. If you are a dark chocolate fan, the two flourless dark chocolate bars would have been the ticket.

According to TimeOut, the restaurant was designed by the "architectural wiz" Marcelo Joulia - and it is a beautiful building.  We will certainly be returning to Unik, the meal was delicious and the ambiance was interesting and, indeed, unique.