If you're trying to decide where to stay in the beautiful and culturally-rich city of Medellín, Colombia, I highly recommend to look into the neighborhood of Laureles. You get the experience of being a local in a more-or-less residential neighborhood and are not too far from the touristy parts in El Poblado. During my Medellin weekender earlier this month I stayed in Laureles, and I couldn’t have stayed in a better area. Everything was within walking distance, and I felt safe wandering around during the day. Ubers were accessible at any time, and there were a lot of dance events nearby throughout the week. The nightlife on Calle 70 is the place to be with tons of food in the area (you can hear the music from a mile away).
I arrived on a Thursday morning and decided to see what I could find in the heart of Laureles. Short answer: everything. I stumbled upon on a sweet cafe with a Parisian-style vibe and snagged a table next to an outlet (#priorities). I ordered the Santa Leña French toast that came with fresh tomato and avocado on top of an over-easy egg, hints of rosemary, and Parmesan cheese on a thick fluffy bread and paired it with hot chocolate con queso fundido, aka the Chocolate Fromage. The hot chocolate was a rich, bitter drink that contrasted the savory brunch platter quite nicely *chef’s kiss*.
Saludpan is a not-so-hidden gem sitting in the heart of Laureles. It’s a healthy food market and restaurant that has pretty much everything you could ever need to feel whole (purchased a set of reusable straws #bobastrawincluded). I had dinner with a friend my first night there and ordered el menú del día vegetariano (vegetarian menu of the day), and WOW! If you’re unfamiliar with the way most menus of the day are in Colombia, a soup starter, what we call el seco, which can be your typical protein and carb combo (e.g. rice, beans, chicken/tofu, plantains, etc.), a salad (or a fresh component), a dessert, and a fresh drink are all included in the price. My first-ever order from this place was a home run. They served a legume-sampler soup filled with different traditional legumes that we typically include in our dishes, a veggie-stuffed red bell pepper, a soy-ceviche adorned with thin slices of fried plantains, a guava refresher, and a slice of carrot cake. When I tell you that their soy-ceviche was one of the best things that I’ve ever had in my life…believe me. I am a die-hard ceviche fan. Whether it be traditional shrimp ceviche, tropical seafood ceviche with mango, lime-cured mero-fish ceviche, as long as it is paired with something like a saltine cracker or patacón (fried plantain), I’m all for it. I didn’t really know what to expect when I saw that the vegetarian ceviche was soy-based, but I was not disappointed. The texture gave way for it to contrast perfectly with the crunchy vegetables. Its overall taste was savory with a lot of citrus (my favorite). I was so excited to eat that I forgot to take a picture. Rookie mistake, but, hey, you live, you learn, and you take more pictures ;)
I was so floored by the way they curate their flavors to create a perfectly-balanced dish that I just had to come back to try their breakfast menu. One of my new-found favorite things to do when I work remotely is to pick a place that offers either a cozy atmosphere with outlets that I can plug into and forget all else, or a nature-filled experience that I can just soak up while working. Saludpan has both: their indoor space is warm and has a few outlets here and there, while their outdoor space feels like a mini oasis (I chose the table that was tucked away to the far right). For breakfast, I decided to order an oatmeal bowl with various fruits and honey and was surrounded by the light bustle of a regular work day in the safety of Saludpan’s greenery-filled patio. It was a creamy/nutty oat and chia base topped with coconut flakes that paired super well with the sweet papaya, crisp green apples, and the tart strawberries. They included a hearty cookie to dip into honey that contrasted quite nicely with the oat-bowl. I found myself struggling to eat the last spoonful of the bowl since it was incredibly filling and the cookie was super dense, but it was delicious.
An explosion in my mouth. That’s what Saturday’s menú del día felt like. I’ve never been so happy to eat a falafel in my life. Incredible.
I’m a fan of a light, flavor-packed, piping-hot soup to kickstart a meal, and this one did not disappoint. I felt so refreshed after the soup, that I did not expect such bright flavors to come from the falafel and rice platter. It was adorned with fresh veggies and a chilled, sweet sauce with a tangy kick. I absolutely loved the combination.
On my third visit to Saludpan, this little piggy (me) was trying to find the perfect breakfast for her last day, so I ordered the super-green smoothie to kickstart my day, and it was interesting to say the least. I didn't end up drinking it right away which may have altered the intended taste, but it mostly tasted like a greener, intentionally healthy apple sauce. Not the biggest fan of apple sauce, but the smoothie was packed with energy-boosting ingredients, so I recommend it for a quick pick-me-up mini meal.
Mercado del Río, El Poblado: Please enjoy a cameo from my amazing friend, Salomé.
This one was almost the one that got away. Thankfully, my friend suggested to meet here for my last official day in Medallo, and I am so glad that she did.
It is an elevated, multi-cultural cafeteria packed with tens of eateries and a couple restaurants in the upper levels. We split a Peruvian Chaufa de Mariscos (Seafood chaufa) from the lower level and, surprise surprise, a ceviche from a restaurant upstairs. I can’t say I was too happy with the ceviche since the shrimp was a little chewier than I would have liked, but the chaufa was another story…another world really. It was as if Peru met Thailand and decided to have a Colombian baby. Possibly a strange comparison, but you can kind of get the idea. The traditional chaufa that I love to get back home is from a place called Sabor Inka. From there, it’s pretty much all savory. What I wasn't expecting from here though was that it also had nutty elements like you would find in a traditional Pad Thai. The mix of the two flavor profiles was such a hit. I decided to add a little lime to see what it would taste like and YUM. I ended up liking the OG a bit better though because I didn’t want to overshadow any of the other subtle flavors.
When we were making our initial rounds of El Mercado to get a feel for what we could order, I spotted a little frutería and made a mental note to order a drink from there. I landed on their yogurt-based ginger smoothie that had just the right amount of tickle. It was such a refreshing and creamy pairing with the two entrees that we split.
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But wait...there's more. We decided to go for some drinks later that night, and she introduced me to her classic hangout spot, La Charcu.
I ordered a Mojito Maracuyá (passion fruit mojito) and went for some loaded potato wedges. Turns out, it was less wedge, more fry, but it was also decidedly addicting. Needless to say, no regrets. Please try a fry-sour-cream-guac-chive combo if you haven't already. Your arteries may hate you, but the heart wants what it wants. Be warned. Here's a clip of La Charcu's vibe (second cameo of the day #goSalomé):
A foodie never rests: I'm always open to delicious food recs, so if you have any, I'm all ears.
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