Cover Chefs Francisco Araya and Fernanda Guerrero of Araya
Chefs Francisco Araya and Fernanda Guerrero of Araya
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Araya chefs Francisco Araya and Fernanda Guerrero invite diners to savour their new Costa menu, featuring classic and new creations that showcase the rich tapestry of Chilean flavours
Chile is a fascinating country that boasts one of the longest coastlines in the world (at 6,435 km) and a diverse landscape ranging from the Andes mountains to the Atacama desert. It is this unique geography that makes this South American country home a treasure trove of nature’s bounty, which Chilean chefs Francisco Araya and Fernanda Guerrero proudly spotlight at their fine-dining restaurant, Araya.
It’s been seven months since Araya’s namesake restaurant opened its doors at Mondrian Singapore Duxton, and he tells Tatler that now is the right time to take their diners on a deeper voyage to Chile with their latest eight-course menu, Costa, available as a second dinner option alongside their classic Andes menu. “We have been open for a couple of months now and we want to give [regular and new diners] the opportunity to try more of our region’s [inspired] dishes and flavours,” shares Araya, who plans to update the the menu every eight weeks to showcase a wider array of Chilean ingredients, some of which you won’t easily find in Singapore.
Above Cochayuyo, an edible dried seaweed that's a staple in Chilean cuisine
Above Araya's cochayuyo butter
Cochayuyo, an edible dried seaweed that's a staple in Chilean cuisine
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Thus, the dinner experience here starts with a display of Chilean ingredients that Araya and Guerrero are using in their current menus. When we dine there on a Tuesday night, these ranged from the commonly used spices, cacao seeds and peppers to the more unusual cochayuyo, or strips of edible dried seaweed that look more like thick, flat tubes, which Guerrero explains they have been “eating since we were kids in Chile”.
It is, indeed, a delicious introduction to the feast which combines the chefs’ Chilean heritage and their global influences and experiences working at established kitchens around the world. Araya, in particular, likes to inject his creations with Japanese influences gleaned from helming one-Michelin-starred 81 Restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. This is already evident in the trio of snacks that take our palates through a spectrum of flavours. The sweetness comes from the ama ebi (sourced from Japan) which is placed atop the cloud-like meringue marinated in clarified tomato water, and the velvety corn flan crowned with the bits of corn cob for textural contrast. Acidity is introduced in the chica de piña, or fermented pineapple juice with floral hints coming from the elderflower jelly.
Chef Fernanda Guerrero's la panera
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In Chile, no meal is complete without bread, and Guerrero feeds our carb cravings with the classic marraqueta (bread roll), chapalele (sourdough potato bread) and nori-flavoured bocado de dama (bread roll). Served warm, these are even better with a generous spread of the butter infused with cochayuyo for a touch of salinity.
With the introduction of the Costa menu, Araya shares that it allows them to “play a bit more [with our dishes]”, so the succeeding courses are a mix of classics such as moqueca, or traditional fish stew crafted with medium-rare Japanese kinki fish, and new creations. Among the highlights are taiga, Japanese penshell simply served raw and doused in an acerbic blood orange sauce with chillies and rice puffs; chanco en piedra, melon gazpacho studded with cucumber cubes, which acts as a palate cleanser; and curanto, delicately cooked blue lobster with a sweetness boosted by the accompanying chorizo and abalone sauce, and finished with crunchy chicharrón pieces. Throughout the meal, the Chilean sommelier regales us with stories of how meals in Chile are best savoured with wines, which explains Araya’s extensive wine list, many of which come from Latin America. He even pops open a bottle of Bitter Araucano, a dark bitter liqueur which serves as a digestive, which you will rarely find in Singapore.
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Above Manzana, Granny Smith apples encased in a delicate shell and decorated with edible flowers
Manzana, Granny Smith apples encased in a delicate shell and decorated with edible flowers
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Guerrero shines in the desserts, first with the manzana, Granny Smith apples encased in a delicate shell that you need to crack open, and then with lucuma, a native Chilean fruit that is utterly soft and creamy and served as an ice cream topped with coffee foam and vanilla jelly. And, just when we think that the meal has concluded, she wheels out her carrito de dulces cart filled with chocolate bars (of varying sweetness and bitterness), for a delicious taste of South America. Overall, the meal at Araya isn’t only delicious, but an educational experience we always want more of.
Araya
Address: 83 Neil Road, Duxton Hill, 01-08 Mondrian Singapore, S(089813)
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Credits
Images: Araya
Dudi Aureus is the senior dining and travel editor at Tatler Singapore, covering the city’s most exciting restaurants, global travel trends, and the personalities shaping the culinary and lifestyle scenes. She also serves as co-jury chair for the Tatler Best awards in Singapore, celebrating the very best in hospitality. When she’s off duty, she can often be found at a favourite hole-in-the-wall Thai spot, savouring a perfectly balanced pad thai.
