Tino brings a taste of Latin America to Sydney Road

If you're lucky enough to have travelled in South America, you'll know that the food there is varied, delicious and frustratingly hard to find when you return to Australia.

For all our wealth of Asian and European and North American and even African restaurants, we are less rich in the foods of Peru, Brazil and Argentina. There are, of course, exceptions – especially in recent years. But Latin American food – outside of Mexican – has yet to reach the mainstream here.

At Tino in Brunswick, chef Sergio Tourn aims to change that. Originally from Argentina, Tourn moved to Australia in 2004, initially working here as an accountant. Eventually he followed a dream to cook, working in catering and then at Saint Urban in Richmond under chef Daniel Schelbert. In 2019 he became the head chef at The Vale Bar in Ascot Vale, where he began concentrating on Latin American flavours. Those same business partners from The Vale Bar have worked with him to open Tino.

Tino has taken over the old Rascal location on Sydney Road, the vintage space opened up and brightened to highlight its archways, brick walls and polished wooden floors. I'm guessing that many Brunswick residents will end up using it as a neighbourhood drinking den – there's plenty of bar seating and the sweet-sour frothy pisco sours are well made and only $15. The cocktail game is strong overall here, though you won't find another bargain that good on the list.

The space's history as a wine bar is honoured with a substantial list of mainly South American wines, including some fascinating bottles from Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

Much of Tourn's cooking is bar snacky, too, though it's entirely possible to settle in for a substantial dinner. The place has been packed in the weeks since it opened, and the staff is managing this glut of revellers with grace – don't go here expecting the snappiest service, but do assume when they get to you they'll be friendly and informed.

Start with grandma's eggplant escabeche ($10), strips of soft and vinegary eggplant served with crisp Melba toast. There's a ripper house-made chorizo ($18), that comes in a tight curl topped with marinated capsicum.

Pulled confit duck over a bed of masa makes up the arepitas ($16) – a softer, less crisped version than the cheese-filled arepas (cornmeal cakes) with which you might be familiar.

There's a ceviche ($20) that changes daily – when I was there, it was snapper with slivers of green almonds and a tart green sauce.

I was excited by the prospect of moqueca ($36), traditionally a warming seafood stew from Brazil, but Tourn's version is pared back to a fillet of barramundi and a square of crisped casava served over a tomato-based sauce. It was tasty, though I'd likely have preferred the stew.

Argentina's reputation for steak cookery is represented here as a fat and well-cooked porterhouse ($48) served with almond chimichurri.

A few dishes are similar to what you'd find at most Melbourne wine bars – the (slightly undercooked) beetroot ($18) comes in big hunks over stracciatella, and you can get chips with aioli ($10) or a simple green salad ($10).

I was lucky enough to dine at Tino on the 29th of the month, when Tourn recreates a custom from Argentina that I'd never encountered before.

As the menu tells it, Argentinians generally are paid monthly, and by the end of the month people's funds tend to run low. Because of that, and thanks to the country's large Italian population, a tradition has emerged of gnocchi parties on the 29th.

Easy and affordable to make, gnocchi shows up in shops and restaurants that day, as well as the centrepiece at large family dinners. In October, Tourn's gnocchi ($29) was made from risotto (yes, as in rice), honouring the tradition of using up leftover ingredients. The result was an exceedingly light and fluffy version, bathed in a subtle cheesy tomato sauce.

Overall, Tino is a fantastic addition to the neighbourhood, and to the city. I'm looking forward to the day when we see more South American cooking in restaurants that can be more specific – Latin America is a huge place, and representing it all on one menu is a stretch. But in the meantime, Tourn and his crew are presenting a lovely overview, one that fits in with Melbourne dining right now and also pushes it forward.

Vibe Vintage Melbourne meets Latin America

Go-to dish House-made chorizo ($18)

Drinks Good cocktail list, substantial wine list focusing on Latin America

Cost About $100 for two, plus drinks