Amanda Barnes

Tag: Restaurants

  • 36 hours in Santiago: Gourmet Tour

    Chile is a foodie’s paradise. With almost all the climates you can ask for, the long stretch of this thin country has mountains, valleys, forests and a massive coastline. But fortunately for those with only a short time on their hands, you don’t need to travel the entire length of the country in search for a taste of Chile – it can all be found in Santiago.

    Written for 36hrs.in

    Photo credit: emilyinchile.com

    Friday, 9:00pm

    Make your way to Bocanariz wine bar (Jose Victorino Lastarria 276) in the trendy Lastarria neighborhood where you can get your snout in good training for the weekend. The best place in the city for wines by the glass, you can try wines from all over the country here ranging from boutique to big players. Order a flight of wines and get the sommelier-trained staff to talk you through Chilean wine country. When you’ve worked up a hunger, pick some of the tasting dishes from the menu which are all divided into flavor profiles: sweet, salty, creamy… Perfect for playing with wine pairings.

    Saturday

    Photo credit: tripadvisor

    9:00am

    Take a morning stroll around Plaza de Armas, the historical square in the middle of the city. As you walk around with the pigeons and tourists, get a bite of breakfast on the run from the numerous food stands underneath the arcades on the Portal Fernandez Concha side. It’s not glamorous, but it is Chilean. Have an empanada, a doughnut, a slice of pizza, a hotdog or all of them and remember the mantra: eat breakfast like a King.

    Photo credit: Viajeasantiago.com

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  • 36 hours in Buenos Aires: Luxury

    This wasn’t called the Paris of South America for no reason! Buenos Aires has all the luxuries a European capital can afford: five star hotels, gourmet cuisine, exclusive tours and all the makings for a great weekend schmoozing, boozing and relaxing.

    Written for 36hrs.in

    Photo credit: Faena Hotel

    Friday, 6:00pm

    The hottest luxury hotel in BA is Faena, and it wasn’t called a ‘universe’ for nothing. Designed by Philippe Starck in one of the landmark buildings in the city, El Porteño, this is so much more than a hotel – it has an arts center, a spa, live music performances and some of the city’s best dining options, and as you’d expect from Starck no expense or creativity is spared in its design. Start the evening with a private wine tasting in the cellar, with the largest collection of wines in Argentina at your disposal, then move onto one of the restaurants before finishing for an intimate evening of top quality tango in El Caberet bar. Expect sizzling tango and sip on a champagne cocktail to cool off from the latin heat on the dance floor. If you don’t want to stay at the hotel or choose to dine elsewhere, you are in the right place – BA’s opulent neighborhood, Puerto Madero – where there are dozens of great restaurants, clubs and hotels.

    Saturday

    Photo credit: therealargentina.com

    9:00am

    The idea of brunch hasn’t quite caught on in Buenos Aires yet, but there are a couple places where you can breakfast like a queen – mainly in hotels. Try L’Orangerie in the attractive Recoleta neighborhood where you can pick through a large buffet and have a few glasses of bubbly to get your day started right.

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  • 36 hours in Mendoza: Minding your pesos

    Written for 36hrs.in

    It’s certainly true that Argentina is not the bargain it used to be. Money smart travellers rushed here in their droves following the big economic crash of 2001 when it was cheaper to buy a litre of beer here than a pack of chewing gum back at home. However after 10 years and spiraling inflation, it isn’t the cheap as chips destination of years past. You can however still discover this wonderful city while minding your pesos.

    Friday

    4:00pm

    Get your bearings on this city by wandering the plazas: Italia, Espana, Chile, San Martin and the biggie – Plaza Independencia. Not only are they nice to look at and loll around in, but the plaza’s all tell part of the country’s history with monuments of independence battles and immigration influences. The plazas are strategically placed as meeting points in case of an earthquake, like the one in in 1861 that completely flattened the city. Rest assured though – buildings are all earthquake proof now.

    Photo credit: David Hellekalek

    6:00pm

    Argentineans must come second only to Italians for their love of ice-cream, and the helados (ice cream) here are a matter of national pride. Get your lips around an ice-cream stuffed cone from premier Mendoza chain Ferruccio Soppelsa (Belgrano 1092) for their Malbec and Torrontes flavours, or Bianca y Nero (Aristides Villanueva 144) for their seriously chocolate-y flavours. Don’t miss out on trying Super Dulce de Leche ice cream either.

    Photo credit: tripadvisor

    9:00pm

    There’s nothing more Argentine than tango, and every Friday in the Summer months a crowd of tango aficionados gather outside in Plazoleta Vergara and entice each other and onlookers to fall in love with this passionate, truly Argentine dance.

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