Restaurants are usually the main reason why I choose to go to a city, but they are never the only reason why I jump on a plane. Boragó in Santiago, Chile, is the exception.
On my previous visit, I flew 3.5 hours from Lima just to eat at Boragó and travelled back early the next morning. For me, it is the ultimate compliment.
This time, I would begin my visit to Boragó already in the morning, when head chef and owner Rodolfo Guzmán would take me exploring the beach for ingredients. The reason is clear. He is extremely passionate and proud of native Chilean ingredients. His face lights up when he sees certain ingredients; there is a spark in his eyes and a fast, enthusiastic pace in his voice when speaking about them. For him, Boragó is all about paying homage to these ingredients. Some are served in simple preparations, but he was trained in Spain, so he often uses complex transformations and theatrics to make them shine.
Theatrics were definitely also one of his tools this day, especially in the first part of the menu, where we would start with a “Martini” with a rich sabayon made with pumpkin and served in a pumpkin. A gimmick, yes, but if the flavour holds up, so does the gimmick. It held up. This was late autumn, so ingredients from the forest would play a big part in the menu, especially in the beginning. Chanterelle mushrooms with wild rose and a bit of smoke were next. An obvious umami-rich and delicious dish.
Rodolfo doesn’t do anything like anybody else. He would therefore serve not one but two ice creams as part of the opening appetizers. My absolute favourite was the second one, made with pink tomatoes and served on a stem of something almost pungent and spicy. It was an incredible combination and quite the surprise. A combination that only Rodolfo can pull off.
This was not the last time in the menu where Rodolfo would serve unique and elaborate combinations, but to avoid a sensory overload, he would step back and serve a more traditional dish: a seafood platter, but naturally with unique Chilean ingredients and brought together by a fermented crème.
We would now be back with a bit more theatrics but more comforting flavours. Apples served inside an apple with muesli. A dish that was more fun than delicious, but five minutes after finishing it, the most delicious and weird dish of the evening would arrive.
Picoroco looks like nothing I have ever seen on a plate. This Chilean crustacean has a huge volcanic-looking shell, and Rodolfo has spent years trying to find a way to serve the meat directly. He finally did. Served together with tucupi, it was sweet, spicy, smoky and absolutely delicious.
Yes, it would not be the last time that Rodolfo served ingredients I had never heard about before. The next dish was called patuca, which is a pumpkin that tasted almost like pasta, served inside the pumpkin itself, which had been treated like a cheese. Again, an imaginative combination, and at this point I couldn’t help but feel a strong admiration for Rodolfo and his creativity which shines brighter than ever. Together with a buttery Chilean saffron and uni sauce, it was comforting and delicious. Usually, you think of simple preparations when you think of comforting dishes, but this was far from that, yet the result was the same.
We would stay in the comforting and delicious category, first with a crudo of deer and then a rich autumn stew with lots of mushrooms. Rodolfo has had quite a few signature dishes, and two of them would be next: grilled duck and finally the Patagonian lamb.
The lamb will undoubtedly be the best lamb you have ever had. It is roasted skin-side down for almost 11 hours. Nothing is added, not even salt. During the process, it is basted with its own juices. The result is lamb with skin that is crispy and almost glass-like, while all the fat and gelatine have slowly melted, making the bite incredibly rich and delicious. First the crispy skin and then the extremely soft meat, with an intense flavour. For most of this post, I have been in awe of Rodolfo’s level of creativity, but with this dish, it is all about craftsmanship. It is incredible to see that he masters both.
While the last couple of savoury dishes were all comforting, we would be back with some extremely creative desserts. First, wild apples and goat ice cream served on a stick, and then “bread gone bad”. Bread left out for too long will eventually turn blue as it molds. Here, that process is controlled and intentional. The process creates a strong umami and chocolate flavour in a unique combination. Was the effort worth it? Yes, absolutely. The flavour was spectacular, and the level of skill it must have taken to create this masterpiece is impressive.
The last piece is a bit more theatrical but very fun. Cold Glacier is a lemon ball so cold that when you bite into it, you look like a dragon with smoke coming out of your nose.
So you might ask yourself if Boragó was worth the 3.5-hour plane ride? The answer is absolutely.
Had the restaurant been placed in a major European capital, it would definitely be rated higher on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list than its current number 23. It is one of the most original restaurants I have ever experienced. Nothing about the restaurant looks like anything you have seen before, from the ingredients to the vast transformations they go through.
Sometimes with very technical restaurants, you experience that it is more about the technique than the flavour, but that is not the case at Boragó. The food is delicious, and Rodolfo is the magician who ties it all together.
Practical information
Location: Santiago, Chile
Head Chef: Rodolfo Guzman
Menu: 12 course tasting menu
Website: www.borago.cl
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