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chile

Best restaurants & bars in Santiago

by Amanda Barnes November 27, 2016

What are the best Santiago restaurants? And the top cheap eats Chile’s capital? Perhaps you are looking for authentic Vietnamese, Italian or Japanese? And even more importantly, who has the best wine list and what is the best bar in Santiago?

Our friends at The Besty invited me to give my top recommendations for Santiago, and obviously I wanted to share those thoughts with you too… So here are some of our top recommendations for Santiago:

Best Wine Bar

Barrica 94. Wine bars tend to be a bit snooty, but Barrica 94 is anything but. In the heart of Bellavista, this spacious wine bar offers loads of wines by the glass and hundreds by the bottle from regions all over Chile and some international comparison flights too. The food is also great!

Other honorable mentions: Boca Nariz; Vinocracia

Best Wine List in a Restaurant:

Baco. Baco Bistro was the first restaurant in Santiago to take wine service seriously and it is still the ‘go to’ place for winemakers and industry folk for its huge range of wines and dishes that pair perfectly. The wine list is 3 times the size of the menu, which is always a good sign in my eyes!

Best Burger:

La Burguesia. Unpretentious, good burgers. Enough said!

Best Historic Restaurant:

Castillo Forestal. The location is idyllic – overlooking Bellas Artes museum and the park, and inside an old castle with its own tower. Although it isn’t traditional Chilean, the food is great (with a very definite French twist) and they serve wine by the carafe – what more could you ask for?

Best Modern Restaurant:

Borago. Rodolfo is a master. He brings ancient native cooking techniques into a futuristic food world hidden within the walls of Borago.

Top 3 “Cheap Eat” Restaurants

Full disclosure: these are all from my ‘barrio’ in Santiago… Recoleta, the home of good cheap eats.

1. El Majrur: For the days when you just need a kebab! Flavourful, filling and cheap!

2. Sukine, Antonia Lopez de Bello 244 (and other neighbouring Korean joints): Cheap and spicy korean food. Great for a dinner with lots of friends.

3. Chicken Story. I dare you to try and not finish your bucket of fried chicken… Especially if you are eating it and chugging a bottle of bubbly.

Best Chilean Restaurant:

Peumayen: Elevating Chilean cuisine and authentic dishes to another level.

Best Cocktails:

Red Lux Bar: Intimate, sexy and top cocktails. Perfect date night material.

Best Dish in Chile:

Deep fried empanadas stuffed with fresh crab meat and cheese by the coast in Maitencillo with a glass of Limari Chardonnay. Hands down.

Best Italian Restaurant:

La Finestra. The best pizza in Santiago is at La Finestra. The head chef is from Naples and knows how to make a proper pizza – which is sadly a rarity in South America (despite the many Italian immigrants). When I’m in Santiago for a only a few days, I inevitably eat here at least twice to get my pizza fill! I’m ashamed to say I’ve never eaten anything else on the menu. Why would you when the pizza is so good?

Best Sushi:

Naoki. Beautiful sushi and japanese food. Just ask the chef to bring you whatever is best that evening and enjoy the ride!

Best Pisco Sour:

Chipe Libre: Solid Pisco Sours with a fantastic range of Pisco in case you prefer it straight (like I do!)

Best Appetizers:

The Singular. One of Santiago’s best kept secrets – enjoy the rooftop bar with a cocktail and their yummy fingerfood in the early evening.

Best Tapas:

Ruca Bar. Get there in time for the G&T happy hour!

Best Brunch:

The W. Go for the blow out Sunday brunch party – DJs, bottomless bloody mary and sparkling wine, and an oyster bar among the buffet. Best start (and end!) to a lazy sunday.
If you want more brunch tip offs, check out this article.

Best Vietnamese Restaurant:

Vietnam Discovery: From the outside this place appears rather bland, but as you walk in you step into a tent made to look like the tropics of Vietnam. The food is not the most authentic, but it is very tasty, and the live jazz nights make it the most elegant Vietnamese joint in town.

What are your favourite food joints in Santiago? Please add them in the comment space below!

November 27, 2016 0 comment

Carmenere grapes in the vineyards in Chile, Carmenere Day

Chile Features Features Chile Wine Guide By Region Colchagua Wine Maule

Carmenère Day & the story of a mistaken identity

by Amanda Barnes November 2, 2016

written by Amanda Barnes

The story of Carmenère, the emblematic grape variety of Chile, is quite unique. While Carmenère Day celebrates the popularity of the grape in Chile, the story of Carmenère, in fact, begins in France. Discover the history of Carmenère in our ultimate guide to the variety.

The history of Carmenère & its French roots

Carmenère was one of the original six red varieties of Bordeaux (along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot). Although its origins are much older, Carmenère was best known through history for being used in Bordeaux blends.

That all changed in the late 1860s when the phylloxera plague decimated Europe’s vineyards and wiped out all of the vineyards in Bordeaux, and its Carmenère plantings. When it came to replanting, the Bordelaise favoured Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Carmenère wasn’t a particularly popular variety in Bordeaux because of its susceptibility to mildew and coulure and plantings dwindled. As Carmenère had only ever really been planted in Bordeaux, it was presumed extinct thereafter.

November 2, 2016 0 comment

Chile Chile Features Features Videos

A 360 tour of Chile’s Andes wine region in Cachapoal

by Amanda Barnes July 24, 2016

written by Amanda Barnes

Winemaker at Calyptra wines, Francois Massoc, invites us on a 360 degree tour of the vineyard high in the Andes mountains in Alto Cachapoal, Chile. Amanda Barnes asks him about the terroir and impact of the location on the wines produced. Don’t forget to click and spin the screen to see the whole 360 picture!

July 24, 2016 0 comment

News Chile Features Features By Region Casablanca and Valpo Santiago Colchagua Elqui Squeeze Maule Itata

Harvest Report Chile 2016

by Amanda Barnes June 2, 2016

written by Amanda Barnes

Both sides of the Andes were affected by the El Niño this year, and Chile was hit in most of its regions by the cool and wet cycle that complicated 2016’s harvest. Throughout the central valleys of Maipo, Colchagua, Curico and Cachapoal, the harvest was delayed by a couple weeks up to a month which presented big problems for some producers as heavy showers in April caused havoc, dropping production numbers by around a fifth overall.

While numbers were down across the country, some producers were very happy with the cooler style of the red wines coming in. “There was a very slow maturity which is great, it has taken on sugar much slower than the last few years with lower alcohols,” said Marcelo Retamal, winemaker for De Martino in Maipo.

The coastal regions of Casablanca and San Antonio also suffered a wetter year meaning vineyard management was more expensive and taxing, although the early ripening varieties had promising results.

In Maule, known as the Secano Interior (dry interior), the rains also affected some producers however the biggest impact was in the more densely planted large farms who had more logistical issues to bring in the fruit before the rain. The small, independent producers with lower yields had a cooler year with good results if they picked before the rain.

“It was a difficult year for large high density farms that have mechanized planting,” said Derek Mossman who makes his his boutique production for Garage Wine Co in the region. “It is very sad to see so much fruit further north abandoned and rotting. 2016 will no doubt make for less quality at the lower end. That said certain dry-farmed wines from the Secano will be stellar. It was an incredible year for Garnacha harvested before any rain. It is deep and flavourful great acidity and softer than the previous few years.”

June 2, 2016 0 comment

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