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In an old and restored heritage house dating back to 1910, located right in the heart of the O'Higgins Region, a proposal is beginning to take shape that seeks to reclaim the essence of Chilean cuisine: hospitality, local produce and memory. A place that its creators called Entorno, Sebastián Mardones and his wife Ana Álamos. He studied at Inacap, and she at Le Cordon Bleu.
A welcoming young couple of chefs who decided to transform their home, located in the heart of Rengo, into an intimate gastronomic space, ensuring that the whole experience takes place pleasantly around what was once a peaceful family dining room.
More than a restaurant, Environment is a way of understanding cuisine as a gesture of hospitality and belonging. Here there is no menu, no fast service, no distance between the cook and the diner. What there is is a shared table for up to ten diners - who arrive together or are encouraged to share with strangers -, which is adorned with a seasonal repertoire that changes according to the availability of the market and the generosity of the garden.
All of this to make a show kitchen the protagonist, allowing those present to observe the unfolding of each preparation while the entertaining conversation also flows as if it were part of the menu.
“We want people to come and have an authentic experience, to feel part of the place. We want them to taste what is grown and produced here in the area, but above all, we want them to leave with the feeling of having eaten at home,” says Sebastián.
Open kitchen, leisurely pace
The experience is built around the local: preserves made by themselves (www.ritaconservas.cl), bread kneaded on the day, dressings that are out of the ordinary, a selected list of exclusive signature wines from the O'Higgins Region. All this and more is in harmony with recipes that evoke the homemade and respect for the origin, but interpreted with their own technique and contemporary sensibility.
Entorno operates with reservations made at least 24 hours in advance, and is open from Thursday to Saturday in double shifts: 13:00 to 15:30 and 19:30 to 22:00 hrs, as well as on Sundays at lunchtime, from 13:00 to 15:30 hrs.
For Sebastián and Ana, this structure does not seek exclusivity, but coherence: “We want each service to have a special meaning and to be able to attend to each person as if they were in our own dining room”, they explain.
Environment is located about five minutes from the Ruta 5 Sur, if you arrive by car, and conveniently steps from the Rengo train station, adding access alternatives both from the region itself and from Santiago. The proposal is complemented by the work that both are carrying out through Black Rooster, their itinerant cooking project that has led them to collaborate with vineyards, institutions and gastronomic events in different regions of the country.
“What we are looking for is for Rengo, and in general, the entire O'Higgins Region, to be recognised as destinations with content. There is a lot of talent, a lot of product and many stories that are worth highlighting”, says Ana, with the calm of someone who cooks without haste, but with purpose.
But there is more to come. In the future, they plan to set up a spacious terrace under the parrón plus a room for bed and breakfast, thus broadening the experience towards rural and food and wine tourism, with a focus on sustainability.
A seasonal menu, the land of flavours
Sitting at the table in Environment It was simply a case of letting yourself go, letting the experience flow through the dishes that Sebastián and Ana prepared with the calm and dedication of someone who cooks for friends. This is the repertoire we tasted.
Plate 1: Sea and seaweed pie. Fresh coriander sauce.
Plate 2: Beans in spring (100% vegetable dish). Beans with fried beans, bean puree, pickled vegetables, herb sauce and spring herbs.
Plate 3: Gizzard marera (in honour of the seaweed farmers). Sweetbread stewed in smoked seaweed broth, new potatoes and soft peas.
Plate 4: A walk along the coast. Grilled Lisa, quinoa and coastal spinach, clam sauce.
Plate 5: From the field to the plate. Slow cooked beef tongue, spiced cooking sauce, wheat hominy and grilled asparagus with marrow.
Plate 6: Chirimoya alegre. Custard apple and orange textures
Value $45,000 p/p
Includes water and coffee, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks menu.
In times when gastronomy manifests itself through territorial identity, reconnecting with the land and the people, Environment appears as a breath of authenticity. An honest proposal in which each dish tells a story that pleases the palate, putting the table, the wines of Chile, wine tourism and hospitality at the centre of the culinary story.
Reservations: on WhatsApp +56 9 9694 4988.
Instagram @entornocl
Mail: entornochile@gmail.com
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