When I lived in Buenos Aires in the 90s, one of its few drawbacks was the sweltering summer heat. Escaping the reach of the city usually involved a long trek on a bus. My one salvation was Tres Bocas – an island in the Rio Paraná delta. It only entailed a short train journey to Tigre, and a 40-minute boat ride (about £8).
Each year, on my return to Argentina with my family, I still head here. The island’s main restaurant and only shop is El Hornero, astride a small tributary, a short amble along a mud track from the landing bay. We usually sit outside in the courtyard, under the welcome shade of a giant wisteria and savour the alchemy of smoke and meat being grilled.
The food is nothing fancy – the usual Argentinian suspects of chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), vacio (flank), entrańa (skirt) – but it’s well executed and cheap too, about £10 a head. The alfesco setting enhances the eating experience (there’s no interior just a small grocer shop) and we arrive hungry. Having eaten long and well, we sit back under the cool, dappled light and polish off the remaining malbec, while the kids scamper off, ice-creams in hand, to explore the island.
Though only an hour away, the bustle and grind of the city seem a distant prospect. The only sound that might break the tranquillity is the distant chug of a boat or the hiss of the cigarras (crickets). The waters gurgle past and the late-afternoon light slants through the birch trees. For now, for this short while, all is fine.
