Beer, Food, and Rain in Valdivia

Valdivia’s weather in March compares to September in the temperate U.S. — an erratic time of warm sun, cool rain, and everything in between.  When my older daughter Astrid visited me for a week in Chile, we had two days to explore the city, and a forecast of rain. What can you do when it rains? Well, you can always eat.

Lifestyle Changes:

Before Astrid got here, I ate my meals unobtrusively alone — perhaps ordering grilled fillet of local fish, a boiled potato, and two-ingredient salad at the marketplace or trying the menú al día, a popular modestly priced fixed luncheon menu served at many restaurants and cafés. She arrived armed with an online list of Valdivia’s best wining (well, beering) and dining establishments, and my meals became more sophisticated.

Here are some of our culinary highlights.

 Cafe Entrelagos:

The first drizzly morning we took an Uber to Café Entrelagos, located near the central plaza and next to the famous Entrelagos chocolate shop. Attentive waiters in white shirts and black vests serve in a European styled atmosphere of dark-wood tables and paneling and Art Deco pictures framing the walls. Popular at any time of day, it features excellent espresso coffee, chased with a small glass of sparkling water. Astrid and I started with the coffee, went on to pailas (deep metal dishes) of scrambled eggs,  and finished with a slice of kuchen, German-styled cake.

Two observations: 1.) all the waiters here, and in many Chilean restaurants, are men. 2.) The suggested 10% tip is printed at the bottom of the bill, and waiters unfailingly ask if we would like to include it in our payment.

Cerveza Kunstmann:

Valdivia is beer country. As I am not a beer drinker, I waited until Astrid, who is, arrived before exploring this aspect of the city. Known to have the purest water in all of Chile, Valdivia is home to over 40 breweries, including Cervecería Kunstmann.

Taking a micro-bus to the entrance of the sprawling Kunstmann brewery, we signed up for a tour and learned a bit about local beer-making history.

In the mid-1800s,  Karl Anwandter and his family moved to Valdivia with the first wave of German settlers. His wife, not so happy with the move, decried a lack of beer in Chile. Importing hops (which can’t grow in this wet climate), the family established Cerveza Anwandter, one of Chile’s largest breweries for more than a century until the 1960 earthquake demolished the factory. It wasn’t rebuilt, and for more than 30 years Valdivia languished without a brewery. In the early 1990s Cerveza Kunstmann continued the tradition, eventually becoming the largest brewery in Chile.

After the tour, we had an early German-styled dinner of  sausage in a curry-tomato sauce and a crudo sandwich, which basically consists of raw meat. An acquired taste I doubt I’ll ever acquire …

 El Growler:

Astrid had promised her husband a report on a small brewery/restaurant on Isla Teja Island named El Growler (an English word meaning a container for beer bought by the measure). A comfortable rustic-wood building with outdoor and courtyard patios, it features a variety of its own artisanal beers and ciders, a selection of other local beers, and good food. Astrid ordered a sampler: I look a few sips, and we washed the beers down with beef carpaccio. When my friend Caro arrived with her daughters and mother who was visiting, we moved over to a table and continued with a lunch of seafood ceviche and, for Astrid, another beer.

Here’s what Astrid has to say about Valdivia’s beer scene: “Having lived in San Diego for eight years, I’ve become quite the craft-beer fanatic. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality, quantity, and diversity of Valdivia’s beers and breweries. Though its roots lay in German-style beers, it has also been positively influenced by outside styles and traditions. I had some excellent IPAs and stouts while I was there.”

Espacio Cocina: 

No contest — the best restaurant we went to in Valdivia was Espacio Cocina. A knowledgeable acquaintance had recommended it, and it got good online reviews, so off went went on Astrid’s final night. Artistically decorated, Espacio Cocina (‘kitchen space’) sits in a lovely pre-earthquake bungalow-styled home in a hidden-jewel neighborhood adjacent to the city’s regional hospital. We began with pisco sours, the classic Chilean/Peruvian cocktail of pisco (wine brandy), lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, and Angostura bitters. For entrees, we had seared salmon (Astrid) and tuna (me) on a bed of quinoa encircled by a mango/mustard sauce, and for dessert, a most colorful and delicious tiramisu.