Patuso has been on my list for a while and when the girlies (and panda) wanted to catch up, of course I suggested Patuso so I could finally check it out. When booking online, they will ask for your credit card so if you cancel within 48 hours, they will charge your credit card. Now, back to the restaurant, it’s located at the end of the alleyway so don’t fret if Google Maps takes you down a dark graffiti-ed alleyway. At the very end sits Patuso with it’s bright yellow sign and when you step inside, it’s loud, it’s homely and it’s just so welcoming.
Since we made a booking at 6:15PM, we only had 2 hours to eat to our tummy’s delight. Instead of going for the feed me option, we decided to A La Carte and boy did we go to town. Sit back boys and girlies because there’s a lot of food coming your way.
Let’s talk about the cold dishes. The Marlin with braised shiitake mushrooms and vinegar dressing, it was fantabulous. It was very fresh and definitely has a zing to it. It did have a more asian taste though.
Marlin Nikkei – $19
Marlin fillet with braised shiitake mushrooms, aji mirasol & rice wine vinegar dressing
The Kingfish with miso dressing was also another asian dish and with a less zing but more depth in warm flavour, it definitely felt like home.
Tiradito De Dorbina – $21
Hiramasa kingfish with aji mirasol & miso dressing, crispy nori seaweed & flying fish roe
When you hear someone say alpaca, you instantly think awwww those cute lil things. Well sorry to burst your bubble BUT that’s what we had next. ALPACA CROQUETTE! These were definitely the best dish we had on the night. It did not have a gamy taste at all and it was just so tender and full of flavour, I wish I had everyone else’s too! Do yourself a flavour and get on this dish!
Alpaca Croquette – $8 each
Slow cooked alpaca shoulder with a tomato, chilli & garlic sauce
The braised wagyu spring roll came out and it was crispy and crunchy on the outside and the beef was tender on the inside. However, there wasn’t enough beef inside the springroll which was a little disappointing and it needed a touch more seasoning.
Rollo – $8 each
Braised Wagyu beef spring roll with tumeric & mustard mayonnaise
The spiced fried chicken was fabulous but we weren’t a huge fan of the salsa. The chicken was succulent and was cooked perfectly. The girlies definitely loved it!
Chicharron De Pollo – $17
Spiced fried chicken, lima bean, aji amarillo, salsa criolla & asian celery
The sweet corn cake was so fluffy and moist and not overly sweet at all, it was more of a savoury dish and it was just lovely.
Pastel De Choclo – $17
Sweet corn cake with whipped feta, black garlic, baby corn, asparagus, spring onion & alfalfa
Now on to the mains. The roasted chicken had a lovely smokey flavour but the chicken itself was quite dry which was disappointing.
El Pollo – $36
Bannockburn free range 1/2 chicken, smoked & roasted with a traditional spring onion, lemon & lime salsa
If there’s one thing that you should always get at a south american restaurant, it’s steak! This peruvian restaurant is no different. The eye fillet was cooked medium rare and it was oh so juicy, oh so tender and it just melted in our mouths.
Gippsland Natural 30 Day Dry Aged Grass Fed Beef Eye Fillet (250g) – $48
Lamb lovers out there, the braised lamb shoulder was so tender that it literally fell off the bone. It was juicy, it was flavoursome and it definitely has the lamb-y smell which the girlies definitely loved.
Cordero – $49
Gippsland braised lamb shoulder with coriander, parsley, dill & pickled kohlrabi
Oh, don’t forget to eat your greens! We got the red kale salad and this was so fresh and had heaps of great texture with the crispiness of the kale, the crunchiness of the garlic and eshallots.
Ensalada Invierno – $14
Red kale, silverbeet, crispy eshallots, roasted garlic & mustard dressing
Everybody loves chippies and the cassava chippies with shaved parmesan with rocoto mayo, it was just AWESOME SAUCE! It was crunchy, it was amazingly seasoned and the mayo, it was great!!
Yucas – $11
Fried cassava chips with shaved parmesan cheese & spicy rocoto mayonnaise
Move over savouries, it’s dessert time! The traditional latin American sponge cake soaked with three kinds of milk was just delightful! It was sweet, it was squishy but not soggy and it was a touch dense. The yuzu custard was very yuzu-y and that passion fruit sorbet which was so refreshing.
Tres Leches – $13
Traditional Latin American sponge cake, soaked in three kinds of milk, with yuzu custard & passionfruit sorbet
We also got the peruvian panacotta and this was very dense and was overly sweet. The sponge was awesome though, very fluffy with a hint of cinnamon.
Algarrobina – $13
Peruvian panacotta with cinnamon sponge & caramelised white chocolate
This was my first time trying Peruvian food and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I will definitely be back for the alpaca croquette, the steak and that sponge cake. The staff were amazing, welcoming and very attentive and the service was just awesome sauce.
19 Acdc Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9662 4556
Website / Facebook / Instagram