Brazil. Cuba. Argentina. Peru... Embarrassingly enough, I cannot list the names of most South American countries. Interestingly, it took a restobar to educate me. A look at the menu at Sudaka, the only South American restaurant in town, and I am a little more well informed. There’s Bolivia, Uruguay, Venezuela, Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, and delicacies from each of these countries.
And then, the Ecuatorian Night arrives: under the umbrella of a cheerful sunny side up lie chunks of spicy chicken and a wonderfully fried jacket potato (their version of French fries), gingerly doused in home made BBQ sauce.
The menu, with dishes from different regions of the continent, can be overwhelming. No wonder the affable chef floats around the restaurant offering advice on what to order. Seeing me furrow my brows as I go back and forth with the menu, he helpfully suggests a couple of specialties. The Chop Pa Lo Gurises, which is basically pork chops with chimichurri sauce, is average. It’s well done, but a bit too leathery; finishing every mouthful is a Herculean task.
The pan fried fish with all that fiery masala offers a desi flavour; it would be better suited for a menu featuring mutton biriyani. What stood out was the Maria Jam Morena: perfectly crunchy quesadillas overflowing with gooey strings of cheese wrapped around juicy pineapple and chunks of chicken. Reminds one of a Hawaiian pizza.
The bartender, who I hear has christened herself Barmaid, is on over drive. Like a scientist in a lab, she mixes heavenly concoctions for us to sip. Nancy Sinatra, a rum-based experiment that offers the fragrance of incense sticks owing to a piece of smoked cardamom, is a hit. With the smoky taste of spices, it’s heady indeed.
The service starts off well but as the night progresses, it gets a little slower. The DJ moves from EDM to chart toppers: it’s a throwback to early 2000 with Gwen Steffani, Shaggy and Justin Timberlake, before recent hit makers such as Adam Levine, Rihanna, Sia and David Guetta take over. To conclude the meal, we order a Line Tortita. The presentation is lovely. But, the desert is a thick mass with the texture of wet cardboard.
This is when we head back to the bartender to fix us another one of her magical concoctions, and all is well with the world again.
