I think the one thing that separates Argentina from other countries is its rawness.

Demis and I recently got back from our honeymoon through Buenos Aires, Patagonia and Santiago. And although the vistas and activities we experienced in Patagonia were far more incredible than in any other part of our holiday, I have to admit that I was more moved by the rustic charm of Buenos Aires.

I had always heard that BA was the Paris of South America - and in hearing this I had thought it to mean that the city was filled with quaint streets, beautiful gardens and romantic buildings. This was not exactly the case.

BA had graffiti over every wall, poverty on the streets, run-down old down buildings - some with modern architecture built around them, chaos and disorder on the roads, little organisation in the towns, pollution (though not nearly as much as Santiago), noise, crazy cars, and dogs all over the parks. But although this description may sound negative - I promise you that when wandering through the city, the feeling you get is the same as though you were in Paris. This decaying city creates a raw beauty that makes you feel foreign, alive and beautiful. It's not a city trying to be anything else except what it is - it doesn't hide its ugliness, tear down its history or organise its ways for tourists - it simply revels and glows in its own style.

The food is exactly the same.

Although I was expecting great steaks and empanadas - I was not expecting to be blown away by so many unique and inspiring cuisines (and don't even get me started at how ridiculously cheap it all was!).

The steaks were as tender, flavoursome and juicy as expected. We went to a few typical parrillas (steak houses) where we would sit and smell the sizzling asado (barbecue grill) while going through the menu. Although I could speak Spanish I was still left stunned. I know a few different cuts of steak - but on the menu they listed no less than 20 (and offered cuts by the weight!) - probably 16 of which I had never even heard of. Most of the times I played it safe and ordered a bife de lomo (tenderloin), but a couple times Demis and I ordered the traditional parrillada (mixed grill) which comes with a bit of everything (and I mean everything - spicy sausage, chicken, ribs, beef, small/large intestines, sweet-breads, kidney, hearts, blood sausage...) though I was too scared to eat anything that wasn't a clearly defined rib I could count on.

The steaks really were to die for - the beef tasted fresh and succulent and was cooked exactly as you asked it to be cooked (if you could manage to say it in Spanish). Your meat couple be accompanied by anything you liked as the steak always came on its own (so never expect it to come with a side...truly, they serve a slab of meat on a plate and that's it) - we sampled delicious empanadas (amazing puff pastry filled with mince/chicken/vegetables), potatoes, salads or sometimes we just drizzled on the delicious chimichurri sauce (a marinade of olive oil, parsley and garlic). There were no lack of options.

It didn't end at steaks. BA has a large Italian community and their pizzas have a great reputation. We went to one pizzeria called El Quartito. When we first got there I was hesitant to enter as we were the only touristy looking people (normally this would be a good thing however I felt a bit intimidated by the sudden silence of the room and the feeling of every eye on us in amazement) - however once there was the smell of pizza involved, nothing was going to hold us back. It was a very basic looking place with simple and ugly looking furniture, a lot of noise and mess on the floor - the walls however, had old photos, pictures and ads which gave it an artistic retro feel. Once our pizzas and beers arrived we didn't even notice what country we were in because they tasted so good. Well mine did anyway - Demis being Demis, wanted a pizza with the lot (even though I couldn't translate half the words on the menu) - and it certainly did have the lot. It came with seafood, meat, vegetables, thousand island sauce and blue cheese...it looked revolting and I don't recommend it though Demis said it was still pretty good (though he could have just been saying that since the waiter was peering over the counter to see his reaction).

I had the pepperoni pizza which was amazing. Everything was made in-house so the base was thick and fresh and the mozzarella and toppings were of the finest quality. We had probably one of our best lunches in BA that day, with attentive and friendly service (the poor waiter seemed to make it his mission in life to please us). Even more incredibly, the bill came up to the equivalent of fifteen dollars.

Whilst most days we walked into any place we happened to be walking past (truly, no matter how "cheap" the food was, the quality at all times surpassed what the standard in Australia is - we never had a bad meal or bad food), a few nights we went to more fancier restaurants to check those out too.

One restaurant we went to called Lomo, could have won a design award. It was an incredibly impressive modern layout, with high ceilings, bold colours, wooden floors, fur hung up on parts of the wall, unique tables and chairs, a DJ and record store located right above the dining area, and a decked out balcony for those that just wanted cocktails.

After a few drinks (we were trying to hold off on ordering food to keep in line with the Argentine late hour of eating...though truth be told it was 8pm and we were starving) we placed our order. We both instantly decided on ordering the seven-hour braised wild boar (can you get a more impressive sounding main?). It was one of the most incredible meals of my life - the meat melted in your mouth and had a clean yet tangy red-wine sauce taste. Accompanied by a bottle of red (OK so BA wine is not brilliant but you can get lucky or else get lucky enough to have a Chilean wine on the menu!), the meal made you feel as wild as the boar...it also made you feel as large as one (that could have been due to the amount of bread and entrées we ate while waiting for it to be an acceptable hour to order dinner).

Although I was too full for dessert, Demis ordered one that was quite impressive. It was a cake-like looking dish that had multiple layers of chocolate biscuit, a layer of dark chocolate mouse, a chocolate wafer and on top, a layer of white goat's cheese. This artistic wonder was accompanied by a short of warm red dessert wine.

Another restaurant we went to was called Tomo Uno. It was our last night in BA and I wanted to eat as much as possible. The elegant restaurant with only a few tables (perfectly situated so that each one had privacy) is owned by two sisters who pride themselves on giving individual attention to each plate that comes out of the kitchen. The menu is small but very detailed and the quality of each dish is second to none. Wanting to not miss out on anything, I ordered their signature homemade pasta with fresh tomatoes, herbs, garlic and oil for entrée (though actually it was meant to be a main...by then I felt bigger than a boar so it didn't really matter) and the wild pheasant with roasted fruits and pumpkin gnocchi with hazelnut sauce for main (really I just excited about eating pheasant).

The restaurant was located right at the top of the Hotel Panamericano, and although BA does not have a glamorous harbour with an Opera House and Harbour Bridge, it does have its own beautiful Latin splendour. Getting treated like absolute royalty (in a surprisingly unpretentious way), we honeymooners sipped our champagne and stared at the streets surrounding the tall obelisco.

The food and dining in BA was just like the city itself. Regardless of whether you ate in an exclusive fine-dining restaurant, a steakhouse with slaughtered beasts hanging in the pit, a restaurant in La Boca filled with tourists, a local gelataria, one of the many traditional cafes, or simply ate off a cart in the street - the taste was always true. Nothing tasted of fake flavourings, bottled sauces, seasoning in a sachet, low quality meats, half-hearted attempts at cooking...it tasted like the city. It tasted of wide boulevards, cobbled streets, dusty corners, tango dancers, long nights, old ships, fancy cemeteries, rundown buildings, modern shops, and wild ranches.

Nothing in Buenos Aires was consistent and everything seemed to contradict itself. The only thing true was the taste - raw and uncontrollable, with a hint of romance and excitement on the side...I guess that's what made it such a perfect honeymoon destination.