I never expected to find a great restaurant in Valparaiso. In fact, I never expected, during my few days in Chile before and after visiting Easter Island, to even find time to leave Santiago and visit Valparaiso. But then Karla Lodis, one of the guides I hired to help me navigate the Chilean food scene, suggested a day trip, and she managed to make it sound so tempting I thought, Valparaiso it is!

We took off early in the morning, stopping along the way for a breakfast of pork sandwiches and hardboiled eggs at Lo Vásquez market. Once in Valparaiso, we wandered the city’s hills, which were filled with colorful street art (a sample of which you can see above), toured Pablo Neruda’s home, rode in one of the famous funiculars, cruised the harbor, and more.

We packed a lot into our one day there, and I hope I’ll be forgiven for feeling that the highlight was lunch at Espiritu Santo. It’s not a restaurant I came across during the culinary research I did for our trip, but Carlos Reyes, one of our food guides, listed it as one of the 10 best restaurants in Chile in his book on the country’s 100 best restaurants.

And now that I’ve had a chance to eat there, I can only say … I agree!

Espiritu Santo, which also includes a five-room hosteria above the restaurant, is (if I understood correctly) co-owned by Laura Moreno, who works the front of the house, and her son Manual Subercaseaux, the chef. Moreno was warm and friendly, and explained every item on the menu in detail so Irene and I, even with our rudimentary Spanish, knew what we were in for.

Our only problem with the menu? We wanted it all! Luckily, our guides were as insane foodies as we were, so whatever was ordered, we each got a taste of it.

Karla started with the ceviche de pescada de rica …

… I ordered the pulpo a la parilla con aceitunas, creme fraiche y limones preservados …

… Carlos chose the mollejas a la plancha con ensalada …

… while Irene went for the codorniz a la parilla con ensalada de verdes, cilantro y palta.

Regardless of who ordered what, we shared the appetizers equally. The ceviche was delicate, and unlike some of the other ceviches I had on our trip, not at all overpowered by the citrus juices which had cured it. I was stunned by the quantity of sweetbreads we were given—almost enough for an entree on its own! The quail showed me how far off I’d been from what quail could be with those I’d cooked, and set a high bar for the next time I give them a try.

And the octopus—oh, the octopus! Of all the pulpo I ate while on vacation—and I did so five or six times—this was the richest, most flavorful, and best cooked.

When it came time for the entrees, I leapt at the duck (as usual)—confit de pato con ensalada tibia de porotos granados salteados …

… while Irene chose the pescada de roca acompanado polenta sellada, emulsion de ajo chilote y limn preserved.

Carlos ordered entrana con acompañamiento …

… and Karla went for pescada de roca arponeado en la bahia de Valparaiso con arroz negros, verduras asadas, salsa ponzu, albahaca y lemongrass.

Unlike with the appetizers, which we pretty much divided up equally, we each ate most of our own entrees, while of course making sure everyone got at least a bite of everything else. The fish was tender, and the duck perfectly cooked.

Then it was time for dessert!

I ordered the colegial de bizcocho blanco y piña caramelizada (as did Carlos) …

… Karla went for the lavender creme brûlée …

… and Irene chose hellos caseros—wheat and lemon flavor. (Yes, wheat.)

And here, after a meal of marvels, is when we came to the single item on the menu not to our liking.

I loved the bread pudding, and the delicate lavender flavor of the creme brûlée made me smile, but the wheat-flavored ice cream wasn’t at all to our taste. It seemed very grainy, with a texture more mousse than ice cream, but muddier than mousse, and with a very flat flavor. We were put off by it, and considered it an odd misfire from a restaurant that otherwise was so amazing … but then I remembered how crazy many of our neighbors here are about Grape-Nuts ice cream, which Irene and I find unpalatable and are convinced is a thing which should not be, and I realized—the problem likely wasn’t with the ice cream, but with us. I’m sure there’s someone out there who’d crawl over broken glass for a scoop of wheat ice cream. Just not me.

If you do make it to Espiritu Santo (and you should, as they serve delicious food, which as you can see, is beautifully plated), order some and let me know what you think, OK?