A revolutionary flavour in the air
praised them for trying something new and wonderful in a city of far too much sameness.
The restaurant, a collaboration between Argentinian friends Oscar Faraldo and Bernado Corti, is supported by Propertuity founder Jonathan Liebmann and his dad, Benji (who founded the Nirox Foundation in the Cradle) – meaning a great deal of planning and nurturing went into the venture.
Located at the top end of Fox Street’s Maboneng Precinct and Arts on Main, Che embodies the Latin lifestyle over which political icons (Che Guevara, of course, Argentina’s most celebrated son) reign.
On a central gaucho-style parilla, the Argentinian braai or assado is prepared over an open wood flame and only organic, grass-fed meat from KwaZulu-Natal is used.
The catholic mix of retro furniture and vintage materials includes saddlery slung over a fence; screed floors; distressed blood-red shinzy curtains; and chandeliers and straw bales on a mezzanine level with rustic counter tops.
The shop-fitting was executed by Blackboy, who are behind the hot international store design for brands such as SuperDry, Vans, Triumph and the new Mexican eatery in Rosebank, Chiapas.
For a showcase of Argentinian food and culture, they’ve captured the theme perfectly.
Faraldo and Corti, both accomplished chefs, became renowned on the market scene for their grills and empanadas. At Che, they dish up little pies with beef mince, and goat’s cheese, spring onion and sweetcorn caprese as signature starters.
There is also Argentinian-style chorizo (said to be far superior to South African generic versions), sweetbreads, nachos, charcuterie, cheese, and salad. The beef cuts include rib-eye, prime rib, rump, sirloin, fillet and the flavoursome picanha, or rump cap; pork cuts from the belly and neck; and deboned halfchicken. All are served with a delicious homemade chimichurri sauce. Desserts are plentiful, but we opted for the flan, which was disappointing. The wine list had a surprisingly low mark-up and a decent variety that included the Argentinian Malbec. Cocktails and a respectable beer selection completed the drinks offering.
Arts on Main is vibey, but if you weren’t into the market there wasn’t much of a choice of sit-down eateries. The main restaurant didn’t entice a revisit and the market became a scrum for seating.
A phenomenal amount of effort has gone into making Maboneng enticing. The business people buying into the area are relying on word of mouth instead of big PR campaigns, but it needs local support.
Get to Che before the rest of Joburg cottons on to the fact that it’s quite wonderful.