At Asador, we are inspired by so many chef’s throughout the world, but especially by those who have embraced alternative ways of cooking and brought new ways of thinking around food and cuisine. One chef who we admire greatly here at Asador is the Argentine chef Francis Mallmann.

Born in Buenos Aires in 1956, Mallmann grew up in Patagonia, Argentina with his parents and brothers. It’s not surprising that wood and fire are two items that he’s most famous for cooking with as he grew up in a log house in Patagonia, an area known for its many volcanoes. Mallmann says that his love of all things culinary began at a young age; he used to hitchhike home from school and on these walks he would chew on different grasses and barks that he would find on the side of the road. He discovered the lemony tastes of the grasses and the textures and scents of each bark. His parents would be angry with him coming home from school as he was regularly covered in dirt and soil and his mouth would be stained green from the grasses he ate. Fire was a constant part of his childhood and the log house he lived in, and he still to this day believes that the memories of that home continue to define him.

Mallmann learned to take care of himself at a young age and moved out of his family home at the tender age of thirteen. He emancipated himself from his parents at sixteen years of age and followed his desire for freedom and moved to San Francisco. He dabbled in a number of jobs throughout his late teens before succumbing to his love of food and became a chef. He moved to France at the age of 20 and learned the basics of classic French cuisine from some of the greatest French chefs of the day in some of the top kitchens in the capital, Paris.

He realised that while he was creating some wonderful masterpieces, and being heavily rewarded for it with numerous prestigious awards, something was missing and he wasn’t doing what he deep down desired to do. So he left his work in France and returned to his native Patagonia to follow his own, unique but passionate path.

Weddings, Birthday Parties, Dinners with Friends and Summer Cocktails under the sunlit Terrace at Asador have been some of our highlights of the summer here at Asador. We’ve celebrated with our guests and had wonderful conversations with many tourists who were visiting our beautiful fair city and basking in the unusual but very welcome heatwave of 2018. Cooking scrumptious feasts on our Asador grill in the mediterranean-like heat and sunshine was the perfect fairytale summer for our restaurant.

Now, the heat and sunshine are becoming more of a fond memory and the winter months are setting in, perhaps sooner than some would like! We’re embracing the change in weather, however, and have our Terrace at Asador prepped with cosy blankets and warm heaters to snuggle under and enjoy some quality time with friends and family. Our winter menus have been set and, dare we say it, we are even getting ready for Christmas.