In December 2004 Alberto Abbate and John Rattagan opened "Santa Maria del Buen Ayre", the first authentic Argentine charcoal grill in the UK. After a long search for suitable locations, a friend introduced them to Broadway Market, a cobbled in the heart of Hackney. To John and Alberto it felt like a little piece of San Telmo, one of the oldest and most attractive barrios in Buenos Aires, and they fell in love with the place straight away. After gutting and refurbishing the joint themselves and intalling the parrilla, the grill they had custom-made in Argentina, "Santa Maria del Buen Ayre" opened its doors on December 18th, 2004. It was an immediate hit with public and press alik, Time Out declaring that "There are few worthwhile Argentinian restaurants in London, and this is one's purler". Two years later, encouraged by their success in Hackney, John and Alberto opened a second branch, south of the river. For their new venture they chose a bigger space in Queenstown Road in Battersea, not far from to the famous Power Station. The instant success they enjoyed in Hackney was replicated in Battersea and from the day they opened on December 21st 2006 it has been full every weekend. In February this year John and Alberto decided go their separate ways, John keeping the original branch in Hackney, which is now called Buen Ayre, while Alberto Abbate runs the new place in Battersea, renamed "Santa Maria del Sur".