January is approaching, and the East of the country is already beginning to throb the summer season. It is that, before the arrival of the visitors, more and more proposals of different nature appear in the surroundings of Punta del Este.
Here are six options to enjoy gastronomy in this area.
Dashi – Solanas
Dashi emerged as a sushi restaurant in Buenos Aires, and due to the success it had throughout its years, it replicated its proposal in Punta del Este; specifically at the Solanas Vacation Club complex.
So, in December 2021 the restaurant started its operations in Uruguay.
The proposal is broad, according to the Solanas Food and Beverage Manager, Gonzalo Doxandabarat. Dashi —although it is an establishment specialized in sushi—, has a wide variety of dishes that cover all tastes. In addition, it has a specific offer for celiacs and vegans.
Asked about Dashi’s featured dish, Doxandabarat said that one of the most applauded is the Yakisake: pink salmon timbale stuffed with creamy quinoa risotto and oysters, gratin with Parmesan cheese in saffron sauce. The price is US$28.
Regarding the rest of the food that is sold in the restaurant, the Food and Beverage manager maintained that the price starts from US$ 20 per person.
In addition, to accompany the gastronomy, the establishment has a varied wine list and a bar with signature cocktails.
Regarding the development of the business in Uruguay, Doxandabarat said that it is constantly growing because the public values the quality of the cuisine and recommends the restaurant.
Magnum – Punta del Este
Magnum, the Latin word that means large, was the term chosen by Ignacio Salvo to name his own brand; a restaurant specializing in sushi. The admiration inspired by the historical figure of Alexander the Great, the mythical Macedonian conqueror of peoples from Greece to India, was key to creating a brand that would be dedicated to conquering more lines of business and more territories to reach with its stores and services.
The brand emerged in 2017 with a store in Punta Carretas and in 2020 added another store; this time in Punta del Este focused, in addition to sushi, on a broader gastronomy, and cocktails.
Magnum continued to grow, and so it was that in December 2021 it opened “the best venue of the brand”: Arenas Magnum, also in Punta del Este.
According to Salvo, this restaurant that is located in front of the sea is “festive”.
It is that in addition to its gastronomic offer, Arenas Magnum is the land of different events that take place in the east: “Magnum is getting international artists to take it as a reference to play on the beaches of Punta del Este,” said the founder. Of the brand.
Referring to the summer months, Salvo explained that last season they served a total of 1,500 diners on the day, and for the next season he hopes to break that record. “We bet that this season Arenas Magnum will get all the applause”, he concluded.
Mia Bistro – Punta del Este
Mía Bistró is a restaurant for sophisticated palates with an author proposal and the value of local ingredients.
Its gastronomic proposal completes a “sincere” menu as described by the restaurant’s owner, Verónica Rucks.
In this sense, he emphasized that the dishes are cooked with local raw materials, with respect for the ingredients, the local environment and the customers.
Asked about the best-selling dish, she said that it is difficult to select one, but she mentioned a few anyway. In the first place, the gourmet Milanese that “receives applause daily.” Secondly, the rack of lamb that “has become a pleasure for the senses”. Third, she highlighted the fresh catch they receive every day from vendors in the area.
Regarding the price of the dishes, Rucks said that most of them are around $1,000, and that Mía Bistró always has discounts from the Itaú bank.
The simplicity of the dishes, added to the quality ingredients, the elevated touch and the natural environment that is part of the gastronomic experience, are some of the keys to the success of the restaurant that each year attracts people who decide to rest in the East. .
“The sound of the waves with a drink and good food are the perfect complement to good company and a special lunch or dinner,” Rucks concluded.
The Sierra – Jose Ignacio
Last Friday, the La Sierra restaurant, located in Santa Cruz, was inaugurated, an establishment founded by a family of Germans who arrived in the country during the pandemic.
Santa Cruz began as a polo club, but over time it became a tourist place because it already has three houses for rent and a restaurant.
According to the father of the family, Michael Klein, he decided to create this restaurant with his wife and children because they all love Uruguay, and they want to contribute to the community: “offering something different” so that more people come to Uruguay was the incentive for development, according to Klein.
By the way, the founder of La Sierra said that the experience offered by the restaurant is unique. And not just for the food, since the German proposal is for people to go to a natural environment in which to relax, and have access to luxury food and wines from the La Sierra cellar.
Regarding the gastronomy, Klein said that the food fuses Uruguayan and Bolivian cuisine, and incorporates a German touch. “We do not want to offer food that is found anywhere, we want to offer an exclusive experience both in the quality of the food and in the service,” he stressed in an interview with Coffee and Business.
Asked about the price, Klein said that it will be according to the experience.
By way of conclusion and thinking about the summer season, the German said that by offering a different experience, he believes that there will be a good flow of public in summer.
In this sense, Klein said that those who visit the restaurant can also opt for a more complete experience that includes a stay in one of the houses within Santa Cruz, and use of the different activities that the establishment allows.
Napule Notte – Jose Ignacio
With a new summer proposal that does not respond to the etiquette of a common restaurant, this December the Italian restaurant Napulé Notte landed in the country —specifically, in the town of José Ignacio.
With an air of southern Italy, the restaurant came with a mix that combines gastronomy and cocktails, with music, design and art.
Gastronomy will be in charge of Fernando Lo Coco and Salvatore De Santo.
Lo Coco was trained at the Argentine Institute of Gastronomy (IAG). He traveled the world and served as a chef in distinguished restaurants and hotel kitchens. In addition, he cooked for political personalities like the Obama family.
For his part, De Santo —who was born in Italy— began working in restaurants as an assistant as a teenager until he became a cook. In this role he accumulated experience over the years working in different countries, including Argentina; where he worked in renowned restaurants such as Pepe Fechoría.
The menu, thought by both, displays a variety of proposals that blend Italian culture and mysticism with high-quality raw materials, to achieve genuine flavors.
Napulé Notte offers eight antipasti (appetizer, in Spanish), eight primi piatti (dry pasta, in Spanish), seven meat or fish dishes, seven salads, two types of hamburgers and 10 varieties of pizzas. By the way, it is worth mentioning that the restaurant has a specially imported oven to achieve the typical Neapolitan pizzas, with thick edges and thin dough.
In addition, the restaurant has nine desserts on its menu.
“Napulé Notte will open its doors to all those who are willing to live a relaxed moment of enjoyment and good company” concluded Matías Perea, CEO of this new proposal.
For the afternoon: Café Borneo – La Barra
Café Borneo opened its doors at the end of 2016, as a specialty coffee located in La Barra.
The idea of its founder Tomás Moche was to have an establishment with the best possible product in terms of cafeteria and pastry, but his focus was to create a meeting place, a gastronomic place that was open throughout the year when that was not yet Common in La Barra.
And that is how Café Borneo remains to this day; in turn —according to Moche— while maintaining a good value for money. The price range starts at $120 each product, and there are breakfast proposals for up to $390; like bagels.
“The business was always improvised, but I had the happiness of having people working who are very clear about it,” said Moche. That is why from the beginning, Café Borneo has been marked by growth.
