Waa, did I just give a place in Bogota 5 forks?! Yes, I did. I'm utterly in love with this place and not just because Frank Bruni raved about this place too. It's just seems so genuine and down to earth and a place that I just want to make my own. It's located in the Usaquen area that I had talked about in my previous blog post. It's got this fabulous rustic, farm to table feel to it and what's even better is that the whole place is own and run by all female chefs. There is a cute market in the back room and a lovely upper level that looks like it would be great for parties.
The menu is all in Spanish and from what I could tell from the ingredients listed, most of the food was very local and fresh. Again there was a lot of pointing and guessing when we ordered but we ended up with a fabulous meal. I went with the "sopa de mar" - which I knew roughly translated to seafood soup (~$11 USD) and the "mixto antipastos" - which I assumed meant mixed antipasta plate (~$8 USD) and Allison got the quinoa salad (~$10 USD).
The seafood soup came out first and it smelled like heaven - or rather like red coconut curry soup. I had seen the chefs in the open kitchen grinding fresh coconut - so I assume that is what was put in it but the smell and taste of it was utterly amazing. The seafood consisted of shrimp, fish, octopus, and squid and they were all incredibly fresh and cooked to just the right texture. Normally I don't consider soup in itself a full meal but this was most definitely worth of standing on its own as a full meal with all the hearty seafood in it. Next up was the most perfect meat, cheese and grilled vegetable platter I've ever had.
How beautiful is this plate of food? It was all sliced and prepared in their back deli and everything was amazing. It had a huge variety of cheeses (there was definitely goat cheese, fresh mozzarella and a manchego like cheese), meats (thinly sliced salami and proscuitto) and a wonderful selection of grilled vegetables all drizzled with olive oil (zucchini, roasted red peppers, eggplant, full tomatoes, onions and mushrooms). This was simply perfect. And the final piece de resistance to the meal was dessert.
They are famous for the red fruit crumble (~$5.50 USD) and it's no wonder everyone raves about it. It was completely addictive and delicious. It's a warm crumble with a bunch of red fruit berries inside and then topped with a dollop of homemade vanilla ice cream. Clearly the reason for its wonderfulness was all the butter in it, but the crumble part itself was crisp and baked to perfection. Allison and I easily polished off the whole thing despite the fact that I had just had a heavy cream based chowder and eaten my way through almost the entire charcuterie plate. Unfortunately I didn't have a chance to try Allison's quinoa salad but it also looked beautiful and very fresh and healthy - it seemed like such a California type dish, not something I would associate with Colombian food but still a nice surprise.
We left more than happy and full after this meal. While my restaurant experience in Bogota was relatively limited, I have to say that I was definitely blown away by this place and can see why Frank Bruni listed it as a place that really puts Bogota on the culinary map. Please check this place out if you are ever in Bogota - you won't regret it. Total bill: $45 USD for 2 people with tax, tip and drinks.
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