Saturday in Santiago: Maldito Chef
Maldito Chef joins Ciudad Vieja in the “making sandwiches cool in Santiago” club. I’ve been here twice now and loved it both times, thanks to a cool vibe, delicious drinks and solid food. I’m easy to please.
Rodolfo and I went on a rainy, grey day, but the bright colors inside cheered the atmosphere. I wouldn’t normally think green and orange could work, but somehow here it’s ok.
I think it’s all in the unapologetic attitude that weaves through not only the decor – squared-off paint can lamps look arty, not junky – but also the menu descriptions. Even the name, Maldito Chef, which means Damn Chef, is somewhat in-your-face.
You can only pull off that kind of cocky arrogance if you’ve got the goods to back it up. Thankfully, Maldito Chef does. I have committed the cardinal blogger sin of forgetting exactly what was in my juice, but it was some combination of mango, raspberry and mint. There may or may not have been lemonade involved too, but the other three I’m sure of. A little bit of sunshine on a rainy day.
Our empanadas were, like the sandwiches, classic with a twist. There’s nothing particularly unique about a cheese or seafood empanada, although both were good. But the options of veggie and lomo saltado (a Peruvian steak stir fry) added something new. Extra credit to Maldito Chef for providing fried food that was crispy but not greasy.
Sometimes when you go to lunch with a hungry man, much as he loves you, he only allows you to snap one quick picture before he insists on digging in. I know that Rodolfo’s sandwich of braised entraña (skirt steak), arugula, provoleta cheese and tomato sauce was nothing short of heavenly. Why? Because it’s what I ordered on my first visit.
I almost repeated my previous success, but with the promise of a bite of Rodolfo’s, I decided I had to branch out. I tried the pot roast, mushroom and shoestring potato sandwich with a beer sauce – no avocado for me, although it does come with it. I think Rodolfo’s sandwich is my winner purely due to its inclusion of cheese, but it was a photo finish.
Maldito Chef is hip, and it’s certainly enjoying a moment of popularity. But trends fade. I only hope good cooking and bar tending don’t. As long as it stays unapologetically the same, Maldito Chef may just become, for me at least, the best damn sandwich in Santiago.
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Saturday in Santiago
Those sandwiches look amazing! You make eating so fun lol. Not that stuffing my face isn’t fun, but you really give it that something extra.
It’s my unabashed, unbridled passion for being a piggy. That’s the something extra
Paso por fuera de ese restaurante casi todos los días cuando voy a buscar a mi polola, que trabaja muy cerca, luego de esto creo que vamos a visitarlo pronto
Sí, tienen que ir! Diría que los ribs que probé en la primera visita no eran nada especial, pero todo lo demás que he probado me ha gustado mucho.
Hey there! I just stumbled upon your blog and found myself scrolling through pages and pages of posts! I am an expat living in Ecuador. I have one more year here and I definitely want to visit Chile before I move on to another part of the world, thanks for giving me a break down of some restaurants I have to visit!
You are very welcome! Always glad when my love for good food can actually help someone
I’d love to know who is trying to make hamburgers cool because Chile really needs to learn how to make them.
Mr. Jack! I go pretty often (should I be ashamed of that?) but haven’t blogged it yet, so I’ll have to bring my camera next time. They’re real gringo burgers and so very yummy.
So this comment isn’t about Maldito Chef but I was just reading about how incredibly forward thinking Chile is with foreign entrepreneurs, granting them visas and even something like $40,000 in help with start-up funding (no payback required!) if Chile believes the business is good for the country. I noticed quite a few of the restaurants you’ve mentioned aren’t Chilean (or seem to have foreign influences) – so am wondering if you think Chile is supporting this on the restaurant scene with their programs? Or are most places run by locals?
Was this Start-Up Chile stuff? I can definitely see where you’d get the idea that they might be behind the influx of foreign restaurants, but I don’t know if that’s the case. I get the impression it’s mostly Chilean owners, or couples where it’s a Chilean and a foreigner in some cases. Most of the Start-Up Chile projects I know of are more online-based, although that doesn’t mean there isn’t a restaurant or two in there that I just don’t know about.
Yum!! You’ll have to take me there when I come back to Chile…
By the way, are you taking photography classes? You are so good with your new camera!! Wow!
Also, I am jealous of your girlie trip with Andi. Come back here and hang out with me and Francine! Pretty please!!
I will take you wherever your little heart desires! And no, no classes, just LOTS of playing around with different settings and learning through trial and plenty of error. Thank you so much!
Maldito Chef makes a damn good sandwich and its arrogance and cockiness is a direct reflection of its owner and chef…Christopher Carpentier who has the in-your-face-divo-artist-but-talented label in Chile’s food world
I’ve heard he’s supposedly a well-known chef, but I don’t know what other restaurants he’s been involved with. I should probably look into that – I bet I’d like them!
Hi Emily, I’m enjoying the posts, they are really good and I’m always looking for new places to eat. It would be great to see on their posts where they are located without having to click on the restaurant’s websites. Cheers, Matt.
I am resisting that because I don’t really want to make these reviews, more just stories about places I go. But you people keep asking for it, so maybe I’ll be peer pressured into it eventually
Glad you find these posts helpful!