Jangada

Our last night in Buenos Aires, we had dinner with Jessica’s friend and her family.  They are staying at the Faena Hotel + Universe so Fred and I went over there with Jess to meet them for a drink. 

 The hotel is quite cool.  Philip Starck designed.  You feel as if you have entered the land of cool the second walk into the place.  I guess that is why it has a + Universe at the end of the name. The bar is a large room with couches, chairs, and the light is dim.  A nice looking pool outside to hang during the day too.  From what they said, the rooms are way too small. 

 Years ago, after doing the boutique hotel scene, we all decided in unison to bag that direction.  Although cool scenes, not always great locations and more important, rooms that were way too small for staying more than a night and basic services that were questionable.  In the last few years we have gone the larger hotel route.  For the time being, it works.

I wanted to pick a fish restaurant this night because I knew it was the right thing for the group we were dining with.  We had already done Oveida and so had they and Jangada, which appeared to have really good reviews would be the perfect choice.  Wrong.

Don’t always believe what you read.  Do not go to Jangada.  The restaurant is simple in décor which is totally fine.  The service isn’t great but certainly that is part of the culture but the food is awful.

Portions are huge.  We began with a mixture of things.  Somehow the first round was small bowls of fried calamari which I do not recall ordering not does anybody else but at least we had something to eat.  Nothing great but at this point edible.  The salads came out for the few that ordered them.  Well, not all of them, one salad never appeared.  A few of us had ordered the stuffed calamari to begin but that came about 15 minutes after the salad.  Tiny squid stuffed with nuts and then sautéed in olive oil.  Tasteless really and way too much effort to stuff those tiny squids if they can’t deliver them on time to the table.

 The thing at Jangada is the paca.  Pacu is a relative of the barracuda and can grow up to 60 lbs.  There are a variety of fish that they offer coming from the river which you don't see in Buenos Aires.  Many of the fish are for 2.  Each fish is served on a wooden plank.

 Fred and I went for the Pacu, someone else went for the Dorado and someone else went for the pink salmon.  There was 8 of us and 4 fish.  2 would have been ample.  But more important, none of the fish were any good.  All overcooked and completely bland served with sopping deep fried onion rings and huge slabs of boiled potatoes with butter.  After a night of not getting anything on time, it would have been ok if the main courses were delicious but they were so not.

 Most definitely our worst meal in BA.  So sorry I picked it.  I would have picked Le Sucre but we had already been to one of their restaurants, Bar Uriate.  I would have picked El Trapiche but thought too much steak.  That is the one restaurant I am sorry we did not get to.  All and all, I should have gone for the quality of the food not the type of food.  Lesson learned but am sharing the lesson with any of you on the way to Buenos Aires.  Don’t go to Jangada.