Fiesta Del Asado, Birmingham

Avert your eyes my vegetarian friends. This week, it's all about the meat. Big, juicy, bloody hunks of the stuff.

If there's one cuisine distinctly lacking in veggie options, it's Argentinian.

In the 1990s, Carlos Menem, the then Argentine president, famously told an American magazine: "Tell your readers, don't come to my country if they are vegetarian."

'Cos Argentina is all about the beef. The South American heavyweight is the world's second biggest consumer of cow, the fifth largest producer.

Even empanadas – Argentinian Cornish pasties eaten as streetfood – are usually stuffed with chunks of red meat.

If you're lucky enough to go there you'll see why they are bonkers for beef. The Pampas-fed cows make for deliciously succulent meat and boy, do they know how to cook it. Parrillas – or steakhouses – are 10 to the dozen in Buenos Aires and only the very best survive; Argentinians are discerining diners when it comes to their steak.

But 7,000 miles is a long way to travel for a bit of meat, no matter how good.

Surprisingly, since most of us carnivores love a good steak, Argentinian cuisine is pretty hard to come by in these parts.

However, a year ago the gap in the market was plugged by Fiesta Del Asado, an Argentinian-style parrilla in Birmingham. It's owned by the chaps behind the city's premier Indian restaurant Lasan and the newly-launched street-food vendor Raja Monkey.

The restaurant occupies an attractive double-fronted Georgian property on Hagley Road, just outside of the city centre. It's opposite Beefeater, TGI Fridays and Akbars.

I first ate there shortly after it opened last Christmas and, while pleasant, I didn't leave with an Argentine tango in my step.

At the time, the manager admitted the interior was a little sparce. Not that it was bad, it was rustic and warm with chunky wood tables and exposed brick, but the walls and surfaces were still bare. It didn't feel like the finished product; the food and service fell into the same category.

He told us he was planning a trip to Buenos Aires to pick up some artwork (alright for some eh?) and 12 months on I was pleased to see he'd kept his word. The place is now much more inviting and, when we visited, was packed with groups of friends, families and couples tucking in to well, steak, mainly. That's not to say there aren't options for veggies. I'd hate to think a non-meat eater would starve here, that's simply not the case.

But beef is the main attraction. We could even smell the intoxicating fragrance of barbecued flesh when we parked our car at the back of the restaurant.

The entrance is grand, if let down slightly by the fact that just outside it is the congregation point for smokers. It was also just our luck that our table should be right by this door and, with a constant stream of people needing to spark up between courses, was consequently a bit chilly. Had the restaurant been quieter I'd have asked if my boyfriend and I could move, although admittedly we didn't realise exactly how cold we'd be until later on in the evening.

We perused the menu while enjoying a drink – him a large glass of sauvignon blanc and me, the allocated driver, a sparkling water. The wine list has been well curated to include a small but comprehensive selection of whites, reds and rosés, naturally including a couple of good Argentinian Malbecs – a perfect partner for that beef.

And red meat is the name of the game on the menu with starters including baby back ribs, cured meats, home recipe sausages, veal sweetbreads and beef and potato empanadas. It really is a carnivore's playground.

While I wouldn't wish to deter a strict veggie from eating here, even some of the seemingly meat-free dishes such as the provolone cheese, and feta-stuffed piquillo peppers are unsuitable in that they contain non-veggie dairy.

Pescetarians are well catered for though, with options including crispy squid, crab cakes and, for main course, linguine with tiger prawns, and sea bass fillets.

Knowing that we'd inevitably both order steak for main course we chose predominantly fishy starters.

But first came a complimentary wooden board of freshly cooked bread and dipping oil. Still warm, it was light and slightly yeasty, a delight to eat.

Crispy squid, crab cakes, beef empandas, whitebait and chorzio pâté with toast followed. I know what you're thinking: Piggy. Five starters between two. Hey ho, live with it. Everything just sounded too tempting and it took all our willpower not to order a few more. Just to try, you understand.

I particularly liked the squid which, covered in a lightly-spiced coating, had been flash-fried to retain its delicate flavour and texture. The soothing mayo cut through the zing of the crumb. I was also impressed by the delicate fish cakes, accompanied by a refreshing sweetcorn salsa. The shellfish was light and not overpowering, elegantly lifted with finely chopped herbs.

I didn't get much of a look in where the chorizo pâté was concerned, safe to say it went down very well, as did the crisp whitebait.

We shared the beef empanada which was fairly good but not especially memorable. It was, however, elevated by a sweet red pepper sauce.

Empties were whisked away by our friendly and efficient waitress, and we contemplated our satisfied tummies while enjoying the buzz of the restaurant. It's got an open-plan kitchen and it's a joy to see the army of rather tough looking chefs (think the cast of Prison Break) slamming slabs of meat on to the grills.

If beef's not your thing, then there's chicken poached in white wine; grilled rack of lamb, and cod loin wrapped in serrano ham. For veggies there's a solitary pasta dish.

And then, the moment we'd been waiting for: The steak. I chose the bife de chorizo, a 12oz sirloin steak, while the other half selected a whopping 16oz fillet (bife de agnosto) with Malbec sauce.

It's worth noting that most of the dishes don't come with accompaniments save a few leaves and a dish of chimichurri dip. So, we ordered parsley and garlic fries, sweet potato mash and roasted veg, although in hindsight, delicious as they were, we were just being greedy.

The steak was a meat-lover's dream. Thick, juicy, well-seasoned and rested long enough so that it was pink in the middle but wasn't swimming in a pool of blood.

And while my chunk of cow was epic, his was of Man vs Food sized proportions. Half way through, he needed a break and by the end I wanted to whoop and cheer and hand him a certificate. At just over £23 for the fillet it proved excellent value for money. It's just a shame it didn't come with a T-shirt to take home and a place on the wall of fame.

My sirloin shone particularly brightly and even the other half, a fool for the tender yet less flavoursome fillet, had to admit my meat was best.

Of the side dishes, we were particularly fond of the hand-cut skin-on chips, which had been generously salted and sprinkled in parsley and garlic. The mash was on the cold side yet still flavoursome while the roasted veg – red peppers and butternut squash on this occasion – didn't quite hit the mark. It just seemed an odd combo.

However, it was all incidental because the steaks were the stars.

I'd love to report that we progressed to dessert but we both had to admit defeat. It has to be said that on a trip to the little girl's room I spotted the chefs at work in the pudding section assembling plates such as churros with hot chocolate sauce. If only I'd had space...

We toyed with ordering coffees but by this stage the draught had gotten the better of us and we decided to head home.

Our bill, including two bottles of water, came to just over £70. Service was friendly and on the ball. We couldn't fault it.

A year on, Fiesta Del Asado has raised its game and is right on track to becoming one of the best restaurants in town. With places like this, no one need cry for Argentina ever again.

ADDRESS

• Fiesta Del Asado, 229 Hagley Rd, Birmingham, West Midlands B16 9RP

• Tel: 0121 455 9331

• Web: fiestadelasado.co.uk

MENU SAMPLE

Starters: Embutidos y quesos (for 2) – Selection of cured meats with cheese and pickles with warm sobrasada bread, olives, sun-blushed tomato and artichoke – £13.99; Morrones asados – roasted peppers stuffed with black olives and feta – £4.89; Pan-fried chicken livers, green grapes and almonds in a sherry sauce – £6.79.

MAINS

Bife de ancho (ideal for 2) – 38oz prime rib eye steak grilled on the parrilla –£45.98; Skewered chunks of beef rump with peppers onion and tomato basted with rosemary and garlic – £16.99; Grilled cod loin wrapped in serrano ham and marinated with lemon and thyme served with roasted vegetables – £16.99.

SIDE ORDERS

Fennel and orange, tossed with mixed leaves – £1.99; Selection of vegetables tossed in lemon and butter – £2.99.

By Emily Bridgewater