Kitchen ***
Service ***
Setting ****
“It is not a vegetable, nor an animal, but something in between.” This is how they define the fungus in Fantastic Fungi, the spectacular documentary by Netflix that delves into a realm of which we know very little. There is more than 70,000 species and not only do they have hundreds of functions in the ecosystem, but they are also rich. They arrived on the gastronomic scene thanks to veganism and today there are restaurants, as is the case of Funga, dedicated (almost) only to them.
Located in a quiet street of Colegiales, Funga is pure light, air and nature. It has a large patio with a visible fruit bed where different species of mushrooms grow and a kitchen, also visible, with the star of the house, the oyster mushroom shawarma, in the foreground. “When it occurred to me to do it, I knew that Martitegui was already doing it in her Marti restaurant,” says Justine Devroe, owner of Funga. “The good thing is that it is much cheaper here,” she clarifies. They do it with Black Pearl gargoylesmacerated in garlic, cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice and oil, and comes wrapped in a tortilla with hummus, lettuce, tomato and pickles.
Other mushrooms on the menu are the meaty and visually striking lion’s mane, the star of the Mac Lion, a succulent sandwich on brioche bread; the pholiota, thin and tall, which grows grouped as if in a bouquet, and is served with cauliflower puree and soft egg; and the more familiar portobellos and mushrooms that, together with oyster mushrooms (also called elephant ears) and pine mushrooms, fill delicious empanadas, accompanied with pear relish.
At Funga there are also dishes without mushrooms, always vegetarian (the entire menu is), made with agro-ecological flours and eggs, organic oils and vegetables, and gluten-free options. Roasted Cabutia with ricotta, truffle oil, strawberry and radish pickles; fried polenta with tomato chutney and burrata; beets with homemade labneh, toasted hazelnuts and bright orange; These are some of the delicacies to choose from.
To drink, natural wines, vermouth, craft beers and kombucha. All very Chacagiales.
