Outings and excursions · Coyhaique

Flavors of Aysén

Text: Mónica Pons · Photos: Karina Jozami

Seafruit and old Patagonian recipes find excellent versions to make themselves known and tasted at some of the restaurants in this region.

Seafruit and old Patagonian recipes find excellent versions to make themselves known and tasted at some of the restaurants in this region.

The City of Coyhaique amazes visitors with its wide array of tourist attractions for the entire family. Of course it also offers a great variety of high-quality dishes. A traditional restaurant called El Reloj (The Clock) -also known as El Ovejero (The Shepherd)- has earned its good name.

After a full-day excursion, we visited this venue to taste typical Chilean cuisine. The restaurant is housed by the hotel called El Reloj, which was inaugurated back in the 1990s. As time went by, the number of beds and tables increased and gained quality and distinction.

We made ourselves comfortable on the armchairs next to the fireplace and had a delicious aperitif while we waited for a table. We observed the old clock brought along by the English colonists in the 1900s, which has become part of family history.

Once we were sitting at the table, we read the menu and listened to the recommendations of the waitress before making a decision. We chose some preparations made with regional products which had been granted gastronomic awards. The chefs at this restaurants have succeeded in creating new recipes from traditional ones using gourmet and novel techniques. We tried a cream soup called “the poem of salmon and crab” as a starter that stimulated our appetite. The most requested main courses were hare carpaccio and garnish, lamb leg and Aysén salmon with a delicious sauce. We felt deeply satisfied as we tasted each of them.

Excellent Chilean wine was served with these delicacies. Wineries included Casas del Toqui, viñas Morandé, Ventisquero, Laura Hartwig and other newer premium wines. Then it was time for dessert. A wide array of options appeared before us. Chilean identity is accompanied by good service and elegance at El Reloj.

We visited other restaurants in the next few days. Meat grilled on the metal cross, seafood and fish from the Pacific make up the best of Chilean cuisine. We were eager to try other tastes, textures and cooking styles. We incorporated all this paying tribute to Patagonian cuisine.