Going to the Source - 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers - page 14

Corner Elizabeth and Victoria streets
( & 03/9320 5822; www.qvm.com.au).
( Melbourne (21km/13 miles).

in Australia, or 800/552-6844 in the U.S.
and Canada; www.mirvachotels.com.au).
$$ Fountain Terrace, 28 Mary St., St. Kilda
( & 03/9593 8123; www.fountainterrace.
com.au).

L $$$ The Como Melbourne, 630
Chapel St., South Yarra ( & 1800/033 400

Open-Air Markets

13

Mercado Central
School of Fish
Santiago, Chile

Seafood, seafood, seafood—the long,
skinny country of Chile is practically
nothing but coastline; you'd expect the
local cuisine to center around seafood.
And that's what this covered market in
Chile's capital is all about. A distinctly fishy
aroma prevails as you wander around
fishmongers' stalls piled high with the
fruits of the sea, accompanied by a crowd
of seafood restaurants where the prices
are moderate and the servings huge.
Built in 1872, the market's pale yellow
arcaded exterior is a graceful example of
neoclassical colonial architecture, but
inside is an Art Nouveau-style cast-iron
interior that looks more like a train station
than a covered market, with a soaring steel
roof imported from England. For years this
was Santiago's main wholesale food mar-
ket, but in recent years the fishmongers
have been squeezing out the produce ven-
dors (they now sell fruits and vegetables
across the river at the colorful La Vega
market), and now the restaurants are begin-
ning to overrun the retail operations.
Touristy it may be, but it's quite a
vibrant scene—stroll around and watch
the vendors deftly gutting and filleting
their fish at lighting speed, while waiters
shill vociferously to lure prospective din-
ers into their restaurants. Look especially

for massive Chilean sea bass, salmon, and
king crabs; salt-crusted oysters, still alive,
are piled in buckets, alongside heaps of
mussels, razor clams, and sea urchins on
beds of shaved ice.
Come at lunchtime, when you can fol-
low up your shopping with a stop at a res-
taurant for a freshly made ceviche or
perhaps the local caldillo de congrio (con-
ger eel soup). Ignore the aggressive
advances of the waiters at the larger,
more commercial restaurants and head to
the back corners of the market to get bet-
ter value for your money ( Tio Lucha and
Donde Blanca are two good choices); the
fish should be plenty fresh, so opt for the
simplest preparations. The market is open
daily, but closes around 4pm—by which
time what's left of that morning's catch is
past its prime anyway.

Ismael Valdes Vergara and Av. 21 de
Mayo ( & 56/2/696-8327 ).
( Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez Air-
port (14km/9 miles).
L $$$ Plaza El Bosque, Ebro 2828
( & 56/2/498-1800; www.plazaelbosque.
cl). $ Vilafranca Petit Hotel, Perez Valen-
zuela 1650 ( & 56/2/232-1413; www.vila
franca.cl).