Confiteria Lion D’Or

AUSSIES CALL IT a steak sambo. Uruguayans call it a chivito. Except we’re not just talking about a minute steak between two bits of white bread. The chivito ($12) is Scotch fillet, bacon, ham, grilled onions, grilled red capsicum, fried egg, tomato, lettuce and mayo all jammed into a glazed, soft bread roll. Try and get all that into your gob without making a mess.

Homesick Uruguayans flock to Lion D’Or in Carramar for a taste of home. It’s a simple eat-in bakery café stocked with breads and sweets out the front. A small kitchen in the back sends out hot meals for cheap. The Milanesa ($11) is another Uruguayan classic, a veal schnitzel in a bun with lettuce, tomato and mayo. Order the plate version ($18) of either to swap out the bun for a pile of chips and a set of cutlery. And the chacarero ($11) is worth a look-in – a steak sandwich variation that adds green beans to the standard lettuce, tomato and mayo combo. Empanadas come in both Chilean and Uruguayan versions. The latter has a softer pastry and omits the cumin. Make sure you save room for dessert. Bizcochos are a national pastime: little pastries eaten for breakfast, afternoon tea and snacks in-between. They range from savoury – like the cruasán which looks and tastes like a cousin of the French croissant – to sweet, filled or covered in dulce de leche, quince paste, custard cream or crystallised sugar. Bizcochos are what you bring when you meet up with friends and family; at $1.20 each, there’s no excuse not to bring a whole bagful. Oh, and there’s one last thing you’ll want to take home. The rosca de chicharrones is a bread loaf studded with pork crackling. Seriously. Take. My. Money. Helen Yee