La Fragata: Fresh Seafood in a Romantic Setting
La Fragata is easily one of Medellin’s top seafood restaurants. Located in Hotel Park 10, it’s an easy 5-7 minute walk from Parque Lleras.
During my first week back in Medellin, I stopped by La Fragata for a relaxing lunch on their outdoor, garden terrace.
As you’d expect, given the name and the giant anchor outside the front door, there is a nautical theme throughout the interior.
From my table, I had a view of a model ship, which acted as a partition between the bar from the outdoor dining area.
The menu is extensive, which impressed me given I’ve been eating a lot of seafood in the past year, from Lima and the coast of Chile, to the beaches of Uruguay and southern tip of Argentina.
The sea bass ceviche was a tempting starter, but I opted for the crab bisque. Unfortunately, it wasn’t available, so I went with regular crab soup.
I think the difference had to do with the consistency, with a bisque being a cream of crab, versus the soup, which had a thinner base with shredded crab meat.
The soup was served in a piping hot metal bowl. It took a few minutes for it to cool down enough for me to eat.
Choosing a main dish was a lot harder. There were so many appealing options, including ten different preparations of gulf shrimp, lobster, shellfish, stews, pastas, and even a few steak and chicken offerings.
But who orders steak at a seafood restaurant?
I went with the grilled trucha a la planca (rainbow trout), which was perfectly cooked, and full of flavor.
The bones were small enough to not be a distraction. I ended up eating most of them. The french fries were a simple side, but always welcome.
By the time I finished the trout, I was full, so I ordered a tiramisu-like chocolate dessert to go.
A few hours later, I ate it back at the apartment.
It was quite good, and looking at the photo of it above makes me want to go back for more!
La Frigata also features a more formal dining room for larger parties, or a warmer setting in the evenings.
But, I think the outdoor terrace, lined with plants, and covered by a wooden roof, is far more romantic a setting to bring a date.
