Why everything starts at the charcoal grill

Every service at La Rio begins about two hours before the first guest arrives, when the coals go into the grill. Argentine, Italian and Turkish cooking meet in our kitchen, and the one thing all three share is a respect for live fire.

Heat you can read

Gas gives you a number on a dial. Charcoal gives you a bed of embers that changes through the evening, hotter at the back, gentler at the front. Our grill cooks learn to read it by colour and by the sound the fat makes when it drips. A ribeye goes over the fiercest part to build its crust, then moves forward to finish slowly.

The fire decides the pace of the kitchen. We just learn to listen to it.

The same coals cook the Adana and Urfa kebabs from the Turkish side of the menu, and the vegetables that go into our mezze. Aubergine for mutebbel is charred whole until the skin collapses, which is where its smoky depth comes from.

Resting is cooking too

Meat that comes off charcoal keeps cooking for several minutes. Every steak rests on a warm board before it is sliced, so the juices settle back into the meat instead of running onto the plate. It is the quietest step in the kitchen, and one of the most important.

Next time you sit near the open kitchen, watch the grill for a minute. Most of what ends up on your table started there.