Toro Toro, Dubai

South American Flair At Toro Toro

Tonight, we are visiting Toro Toro located at Grosvenor House Dubai. One of the leading South American concepts in Dubai, Toro Toro boasts unique interiors incorporating, uber-chic leather furniture, fresh foliage, tribal Latin patterns, palm tree print and dark walls, with a golden back-lit wall highlighting the open kitchen.

The restaurant, part of Chef Richard Sandoval’s portfolio, who over the past 18 years, has evolved from a chef-restaurateur to a culinary consultant, television personality, cookbook author and brand ambassador. Chef Sandoval takes a “made from scratch” approach to introducing Latin cuisine to the world. His style is to combine authentic Latin ingredients with international flavours and inventive techniques to create one-of-a-kind concepts and cuisines that include modern and coastal Mexican, Latin-Asian, Peruvian and Pan-Latin.

The restaurant is partitioned into three areas, the main dining area, the private dining area and the lounge, which is situated upstairs, above the restaurant. We take a seat in the main dining area next to the window which allows us views of the marina.

Our waitress who originates from Colombia herself is our perfect guide through the menu, and we are happy to hear her recommendations, and the pride in which she speaks about the cuisine at Toro Toro. To begin we select the classic Smoked Guacamole which is served with a side of Tortilla Chips. From the cold starters we debate between the Beef Tiradito and the Tuna Ceviche Nikkei, eventually we order the Tuna Ceviche Nikkei, which is made up of Soy, Semane Oil, Spring Onion, Chilli Chimichurri and White Radish.

We thoroughly enjoy this dish, the Tuna is light, and the flavours perfectly compliment the fish. From the hot starters we stumble upon our dish of the month, Crispy Prawns, now, I know what you’re thinking, but we promise you these are not your average Crispy Prawns. Panko Breaded succulent Prawns are layered in a thick Red Chilli, Melcocha Sauce with Arugula and Mango. Cutting into the plump Prawns the bronzed batter cracks under our knife, the sweet Melcocha Sauce paired with the Mango is sublime. A must order dish when visiting Toro Toro.

We take a short break between our courses to explore the restaurant. The private dining room is one of my favourites to date, located in an active beverage cellar, this room has an elegant note to its design. Upstairs the lounge is (safely) busy with guests enjoying a few beverages to Latino tunes.

Moving onto our main course, from the signature menu I opt for the Seared Salmon with Chaufa Quinoa and my dining companion selects the 300g US Prime Beef Tenderloin. Accompanying our mains this evening are the Sweet Potato Fries and the Amarillo Mash Potato. Let’s talk about the Salmon, as requested the Salmon has been cooked thoroughly, the associated sauce does give the dish a slight spicy tang, not too much that it diverts from the Chaufa Quinoa, which described simply, is a traditional Chinese wok style fried rice, but in this instance with a Quinoa twist. Personally, whilst I enjoy the Salmon to my personal preference, I prefer the Amarillo Mash Potato with the Salmon, in comparison to the Quinoa. The 300g US Prime Beef Tenderloin is a stunning cut of meat, served on top of a bed of thickly cut Potatoes and presented on a sizzler skillet, you’ll hear it before you see it. Our knife glides through the Tenderloin, to taste it has a light smoky grill aroma, and even through it is cooked well done (as requested) chef manages to retain the cuts moister. This is enjoyed with the side of Sweet Potato Fries, and sweet they are, we forget to ask the team how the Sweet Potato Fries have been prepared as we are curious to learn about their extra sweet taste, this is however balanced with the Chipotle Aioli.

The dessert menus features classics like Chocolate Fondant Cake, Fruit Platter and Tres Leches Cake. We do skip dessert, but we don’t feel like we missed out as the rest of our dining experience couldn’t have been anymore enjoyable.

Toro Toro surprised us, we arrived a little unsure of what we would find, but what we did discover is a diverse range of South American cuisine reinvented with modern elements. I would even go as far as saying this was my favourite dining experience of the month. The staff are authentic and speak about the menu from a place of knowledge and understanding, the atmosphere is vibrant with Latino tunes in the background and the food like the culture it originates from is fun, adventurous and colourful.

Smoked Guacamole, AED 60 Tuna Ceviche Nikkei, AED 70 Crispy Prawns, AED 95 Salmon, AED 130 300g US Prime Beef Tenderloin, AED 290 Sweet Potato Fries, AED 35 Amarillo Mash Potato, AED 35