My New Favorite Brunch: Hernán Gipponi Restaurant in Fierro Hotel

**Hernán Gipponi Restaurant is no longer in the Fierro Hotel**

For those looking to indulge in an extra special, extravagant brunch, skip the Faena, Park Hyatt or Alvear hotels and instead boutique it up at Hernán Gipponi’s restaurant, inside the Fierro Hotel.  After two visits this past month, it’s fair to say that H 2-da G has become one of my new favoritgo-to brunch spot in Buenos Aires. Just be prepared for serious bruncheando biznass: this elegant multiple course brunch is the real deal. 

Why do I think this brunch is the absolute hotness?  There are several reasons:

Reason #1: Fierro Hotel is blocks away from my apartment, which is utterly convenient since I have a 3 block radius <hungover> breakfast rule.
Reason #2: Although it’s pricier than the average café, it’s an exceptionally reasonable value at AR$100 per person.
Reason #3: The space is comfortable with a friendly, attentive staff who doesn’t shun you for getting your booziness (and bougieness) on midday.  There’s also a nice quiet garden, ideal for brunching and tanning.

Bottle of pink wine.

The menu changes regularly so it’s always a surprise of exactly what beautifully plated plate will come plating out of the kitchen.  Usually the meal consists of some sort of variation of fruit, yogurt, medialunas and bread basket, alcoholic shooter (like the Bloody Mary shown above), juice or smoothie of some sort, fried calamari, eggs, another savory dish, two sweet desserts, coffee and juice.  And it’s only available with a reservation.

First up to deck, fruit.  But as you can see not just any fruit.  Fresh perfect pieces of kiwi, strawberry and grapefruit – start the meal on a good note.

This may be one of the most awesome things I’ve put in my mouths in a long time: lulo mousse.  Lulo is a citrus fruit that comes from Colombia and the mousse has a light fluffy yogurt like consistency, similar to a yogurt after it’s been whipped up.  On top, a great combination of crunchy pistachios, tangy cold lychee and edible flowers. It’s insanely delicious.

So inventive, incredible flavors, interesting textures, delightful play on temperatures – this dish is one of a kind.

Next, a plate of perfectly fried calamari. I’m not talking about rings of rabas, these little fellas aren’t easy to track down in Buenos Aires.

Hey, tentacles. You so cute and crunchy. I’m gunna eat you, one leg at a time.

You think with the quantity of food served, a bread basket wouldn’t interest me. Guess again. In addition to the freshly baked breads, front and center on the top of the bowl were the best croissants I’ve had in Argentina.  Soft, warm, doughy inside with a crunchy, crispy, buttery crust.

On to the egg course, and yes it was spectacular. On my first visit, the egg dish included a more modern take on the traditional eggs benedict, with thin slices of tender roast beef.  Absolutely fantastic. I might have even licked my plate…

The second Fierro brunch extravaganza, they served a poached fried egg (yes, poached AND fried) with a side of hammy toasted goodness.

My egg was cooked pretty well, perhaps a bit overdone making a minimal ooze.  Others at the table weren’t so lucky and the yolk was solid.

Just as my stomach started to really fill up, the next course got dropped off.  And arepa filled with perfectly cooked meat and melted cheese.

Too heavy for my taste at this point in the meal, I didn’t think I could hold anymore food in my stomach.  Come on, you can do it.  I’ve been an All-Star member of the clean plate club since 1994.  I kept going.

When I came back for the second Fierro brunch, I was happy to see they replaced the heavy meat and cheese dish with a lovely rabbit escabeche, served on top of a tostado with some brie cheese on the side.

First postre, brunch #1: budin de manzana.  I’m sure it was extremely delicious, but nothing about it really excited me, especially after I just downed many other courses. And since I was on a diet, I skipped it – I have to maintain my girlish figure, you know.

First postre, Fierro Brunch #2: BOMB ASS cookies. Take that budin, you’ve just been schooled. Honestly, one of the best cookies I’ve had in a long time, with that perfect soft and chewy consistency.  I almost snatched the extra one at the table and stuffed it in my purse.

So, it’s coming to an end.  Brunch #1, postre #2, the final course was this apple fried dessert that had a similar texture to apple sauce, but was crunchy on the ends.  Not my favorite, the mushiness made it fall apart too easily and each forkful had a bit too much grease dripping down.

I much preferred my brunch round 2’s last postre: kinda like an apple pie with pistachio icecream. DABOMBBBBBBBB.  I didn’t think I could take anymore bites since I was about to collapse due to overeating, but it was so delicious I couldn’t PUT DOWN the spoon.

Two <almost> perfect brunches. I do wish that they had a menu on the table so I could read what was included since there was also a bit of confusion/inconsistency on the mozo end.

I did, however, have a bit of an issue with some cocktails that were charged when it wasn’t clear which cocktails / sizes of those cocktails were included in the menu.  When I ask which cocktail is included, and ask for it to be brought out at the beginning, I wasn’t expecting that to mean I wanted to pay an extra AR$35 for it when a smaller version is already included.  If it was a Bloody Mary I probably wouldn’t have minded, but I’m not really into Campari and OJ. Again, if that’s the only semi-negative thing I can say, I think things are working pretty well.

The photos speak for themselves, the food was just as good as it looks and HG has been added to the list of favorite BA brunch spots.

Hernán Gipponi Restaurant
Fierro Hotel
Soler 5862, Palermo Hollywood
3220-6800
By reservation only

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