After finally deciding that I indeed was in the mood for a lamb shawarma at Kamal's Middle Eastern Specialties, I backtracked and ordered, enjoying it alongside a Sam Adams seasonal brew (I forget which one) at the Beer Garden.
The last time I remember eating this kind of Middle Eastern food was on my tour of the great South of Chile. It is common knowledge in Chile that it would be a sin to live in the country and not travel to the south. I did that in November 2008 during a five-night, six-day tour of Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas, Chiloe, and Valdivia. Although each city was special and enjoyable in different ways, Valdivia was my favorite. From the fresh free-flowing honey beer in the Kunstmann factory, to the rich chocolate made daily in the Entrelagos chocolate factory, to our comfortable hostel stay in an actual family home complete with homemade breakfast, the city of Valdivia was a culinary and foodie haven.
My friend (Matt, the same one who dubbed Reading Terminal as Las Vegas) and I stumbled upon La Ultima Frontera (The Last Frontier) by accident on our first night in town. Hungry, lost, and weary, we were not having any luck with finding a nice pub. As we were about to give up and turn around, we heard the inviting sound of laughter and clinking glasses coming from what appeared to be a house on the corner or the street, practically hidden behind a tall hedge that wrapped around the property. We walked up the front pathway onto the lawn and found what would be our second home in Valdivia. Flaking red paint adorned the siding of the converted house, and a porch sat on the lawn attached to the restaurant. Abundant seating could be found inside, while a couple tables and mismatched chairs provided seating outside the house.
A delightfully charming and homey atmosphere (hand towel hanging in the bathroom), friendly and personal service, interior décor of the political-revolution type (think anti-Bush art, Che Guevara posters, etc.), and of course exquisite food and drink were for me the four highlights of La Ultima Frontera.
For dinner the first night, I ordered a shawarma while my friend Matt ordered a falafel, each costing around $3.500 Chilean pesos (7 USD). Both were colossal in size and taste, served on thick pitas with delicious meat, lettuce, tomato, and sauce, not to mention the homemade spicey sauce served in a dish for each table. We returned the next night for dinner and had a different waiter, until Pedro, our waiter from the previous night, spotted us and took over our table from the other guy. Feeling pretty full from lunch, I ordered a simple grilled cheese for $2.000 (4 USD), which turned out to be enormous and somehow the most delicious grilled cheese I have ever eaten. Matt got falafel again.
We returned the next day for lunch before our bus back to Santiago. I ordered a plate of tacos for $3.500 and Matt ordered, surprisingly, falafel. The seemingly high prices on the menu were justified by the incredible quality of the food, and the large portions (understatement).
Besides the excellent food and drink selection, La Ultima Frontera plays an active role in the culture of local art and activism. During our second time in the restaurant, our waiter Pedro informed us that they would be showing a movie on the lawn later that night. Matt and I stayed to watch the documentary about underground punk music in Valdivia, made by local art students and played on a large projection screen.
If you ever find yourself in Chile, check out Valdivia and all of its foodie glory...
La Ultima Frontera
Vicente Perez Rosales 787
Tel. (63)235363
The blog looks awesome! This a great post. I love how you connect something local (Reading Terminal) back to your travels. Great photos and great writing. I'm excited to follow and keep reading. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteWe have that a lot, down here.. too. Everyone goes to get shawarma after the parties. 4-6am for the most part.
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