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 Karina Jozami  Karina Jozami (1) y Martín Rubinetti (2) |
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The sea richness of the bays and the channel that bathe the shores of Ushuaia are excellent sources of inspiration for the Tierra del Fuego cuisine. Restaurants and canteens do their best to present their top versions of traditional dishes and new creations with seafood and sea fruit as main ingredients.
We visited two of these sites, worth considering when you visit the southern city: the classical Volver restaurant and the theme resto bar of the Centro Beagle, Aldea Yamana.
A Good Choice
No sooner do you come in than you will feel the cozyness and personality of the place. Lino Adillion, owner and cook, prints all his passion for Ushuaia in his restaurant: Volver. He has been residing there for more than 20 years and the doors of Volver have been opened for more than 17 years now. When he started, he did not have a clue about cooking, but he began to hang about with both well-known and anonymous great masters. He learnt the craft with old Félix, a German who was in charge of the Elvira restaurant and the first cook in the city, and even with Gato Dumas or Francis Mallman, for whom he organized several cooking programs. Lino was a greedy apprentice and he still is. “I have my masters in Punta Arenas, Lucho and Lilian, and I help them whenever there is a big event”, Lino confesses as we make a toast with a pisco sour. |
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That night, he invited us with some of his specialties, a mixture of experience and his own inventive. We skipped the oyster appetizer and tasted a Beagle trilogy: big ravioli stuffed with spider crab, black hake and trout, accompanied with a soft sauce. Those who do not prefer sea fruit may taste the tenderloin in plum sauce with a side dish. After these dishes, Lino prepared ice-cream with tabasco sauce and a touch of pepper, an intense dessert with strong character, ideal to complete a delicious dinner.
For those who are willing to experience the gastronomy of these latitudes, Volver is the right choice. |
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In the Sea or in the Village
In the Beagle Center, the atmosphere from the beginnings of Tierra del Fuego surrounds guests who are tempted with two very different proposals. The Plymouth bar, decorated as in the times of the first expeditioners, with pots and stuff typical from a boat, offers a menu inspired in old sailors recipes. The original source of the dishes comes from a cooking book from the times of the HMS Beagle: Lobscouse & Spotted Dog by Grossman and Thomas. The recipes, which have been readapted to modern ingredients and cooking trends, include everything ranging from elaborate creations, such as lobster and spider crab soup to various sandwiches accompanied with grog, a typical drink made from rhum. |
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The Aldea Yámana restaurant is from the same period but it has a different style. After seeing the show called “The Beagle Adventure”, we stayed for dinner at this corner of the center. Sitting at stone tables around a small bonfire with dishes resembling the mussel shells and harpoons used by the Indians. After some tapas accompanied with hand-brewed dark beer, we tasted the shellfish stew, as one version of the diet of these orginal communities, which was generally made up by seafood, fish, eggs and mushrooms. An alternative to the seafood is the lamb stew with vegetables and mushrooms. To continue the sailors' tradition, we tasted dessert: floating archipelago, English cream with almonds and meringue.
While we were having dinner, a documentary about the Tierra del Fuego Indians was being projected on a giant screen to complete an evening of history recollections. |
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Restaurante Volver: old eatery. All credit cards accepted.
Reservations at: 423977 or 435252. Average price per person $45 (drinks not included).
Aldea Yámana: resto bar. Tuesdays thru Sundays from 12pm to 12am. All credit cards included. Rate per person as from $25 (drinks not included). Shuttle service. |
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Volver
Av. Maipú 37 (9410) Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego - Argentina
Tel: +54 2901 42-3977
Centro Beagle
Luis Pedro Fique 121 (ex Aeropuerto) (9410) Ushuaia - Tierra del Fuego - Argentina
Tel: +54 2901 43-2090
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“Old Félix offered himself to teach me how to cook. He was not with Elvira anymore and he told me he was going to reveal all his secrets about Southern cooking, which were essentially related with the products. With him, I learnt to know the local ingredients, to feel respect for them, trying to rescue and preserving their brightness and life.
I am not a cook. I can cook and I enjoy watching customers discover the taste in each dish and be delighted by it.”
Lino Adillion |
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