Back in 2012, when Irene and I were in Lima at the end of our Machu Picchu trip, we had one of the best meals of our lives at Astrid y Gaston, ranked as one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. While we didn’t expect that the Santiago branch of Astrid y Gaston would provide the same level of culinary excellence, we still thought it would be interesting to compare the two, and so we chose it for our final meal in Santiago before we headed off to Easter Island.

I’ve got to say though, that after our wonderful lunch earlier that day at Rancho Doña Maria, we could have easily skipped dinner or settled for a light snack. But we’d come so far, and had a reservation, and as they say, pass this way but once, so we pushed ourselves to hike around Santiago and the grounds of our hotel to make sure our appetites would recover in time for the meal we knew was waiting for us.

The offerings on the menu were, as was true for the Lima location, all extremely tempting.

I started with the Piqueo A & G: Pork rib, “tamal” corn and goatling, skewered octopus and stuffed cassava. Creole sauce and Peruvian creams.

I soon realized that this was probably not the best idea after those amazing pork ribs from Rancho Doña Maria. How could any other pork ribs compare? These seemed tough and chewy by comparison, but were they really tough? Or just tough by comparison to the ones from earlier in the day?

It wasn’t a fair fight. Luckily, the rest of the dish wasn’t competing with any other recent experience, and seemed delightful.

Irene’s appetizer was Camaron crocante: Ecuadorean shrimps coated in panko and honey sauce with orange. Crunchy vegetables of the season.

I didn’t steal a taste, so I can’t tell you what I thought, only that Irene said she loved them.

For my main course, I chose Cabrito lechal: Leg of goatling in its juice. Ravioli stuffed with yellow squash, cooking juice with herbs.

Very tender, flavorful meat, with delicate ravioli. Strangely, I’m only realizing right now as I write this post that I also had baby goat at the Lima Astrid y Gaston. Guess I’m making a habit of it! But it’s a good habit to have.

Irene’s ordered the Catch of the Day, which she recalls as having been Chilean sea bass (though she isn’t 100% sure). Once more, I didn’t steal a taste, so I can’t speak to its flavor, just that she was pleased.

When it was time for dessert, we both chose soufflés. If there’s a soufflé on the menu, I’ll usually order it, both because I enjoy them and because I want to see how well the chef pulls it off.

I went for the Soufflé caliente: Exotic fruit (raspberry, pineapple, mango, and coconut) with raspberry compote.

Irene chose the Chocolate and coconut soufflé with homemade vanilla ice cream.

Both were well worth the 20-minute required wait.

The verdict? The Santiago branch of Astrid y Gaston is a good restaurant, but unlike Boragó or the aforementioned Rancho Doña Maria, I wouldn’t classify it as a Santiago must. And it certainly doesn’t reach the level of excellence of the Lima location. I guess what I’m saying is, while it’s worth a visit, you shouldn’t kick yourself should you happen not to find the time for it while visiting the city.

But if you do happen to go there, please let me know what you think, since as we all know, your mileage may vary.