Nooks & Crannies of Buenos Aires: Malvón

So it goes to say that my Saturdays and Sundays typically only start after the sun has already risen to its highest.

When the laughter of children playing in the neighbor’s backyard lingers outside my window, through which I squint in the stream of warm golden sunlight.

Because lazing in bed is not a luxury I can afford during the work week, it has become some kind of a self-imposed weekend ritual. Exactly, like someone else would do yoga or play tennis every Saturday or Sunday morning, I have cultivated a habit of savoring and relaxing in my sheets, knowing it’s the weekend without rigid schedules crammed full with appointments or meetings.

What do I do in my weekends?

Here’s where I’d like to introduce a bit of my Buenos Aires to you.

Mi Buenos Aires Querido
{My dear Buenos Aires}

Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, where I have been living in for the past 3 years, is probably the epitome of a city with a strong café culture. Just like you would experience while leisurely strolling in the city of Paris, beautiful European-style architecture line the streets, and every corner surprises you with a different, homely café (where they actually serve traditional coffees instead of the trendy frauppucinos you find in franchises like Starbucks or the Coffee Bean).

Cafés and bars of all kinds have sprouted all over Buenos Aires, but particularly so in the chic Palermo neighborhood where I live. Over the past decade, the Palermo neighborhood has become the home to thousands of cozy cafés and little quaint eateries, whose charm lies as much in their decor and interior design as in the food and service itself.

Brunch has also become an increasingly fashionable and trendy concept, which most of the upper middle-class has adopted as part of their weekend routines. The concept of brunch has already been long-implemented in Singapore (where I’m from), and I’d grown up loving the idea that breakfast and brunch could be eaten in the same meal, at the same time. So moving to Buenos Aires in 2010 didn’t change that for me. In fact, I started going out for brunch even more – the choices and varieties here seemed endless. Plus, Juan had also quickly fallen in love with the concept of brunch, so we spend quite a few weekends exploring new delis, bars and cafés.

Over the last few years, I’ve found myself fascinated and enchanted by restaurants and cafés with a whimsically rustic charm. Vintage furniture, old-school decoration and distressed wooden walls just make any place look so much more beautiful.

About a year ago, Juan’s colleague recommended that we try a café-restaurant located at the outskirts of Palermo.

Because neither of us are the kind to give up a chance to explore a new brunch place, we jumped at the opportunity to do so, and I was promptly blown away by the concept of Malvón.

Located within the heart of the shopping outlets in the up and coming neighborhood of Villa Crespo, at the outskirts of Palermo,  Malvón’s infrastructure exuded the exact rustic, historical charm that drew me in immediately.

Created to incorporate the concept of old-school Buenos Aires infused with a more modern, contemporary style, and retaining the design of an old house, Malvón is the sort of place where you’d enter with a group of your best friends and chat the afternoon away over pancakes, muffins and scrambled eggs, with the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee lingering in the air. It’s also airy and large and interesting, a house filled with warm laughter and good vibes but spacious enough for you to have your own space. Definitely perfect for some alone time as you pore over your latest book, at peace with the world as you savor the fragrance of baking croissants and fresh wholesome breads.

The moment you enter the coffee-store, you feel like you’ve entered another world. One in which hardwood floors creak as you walk over them. To the right is an entire display of the day’s fresh baked goods, all so pretty and alluring you wish you could eat every one of those loafs of breads and muffins. Keep walking down and the hallway leads to a center room with an old fireplace and decorated with vintage vinyl-covered chairs, where the plain walls show off photo frames displaying black-and-white photos. Further off to the back is another large, spacious room, which gives way to the outdoor patio, ideal for soaking up some golden sunshine during Spring and Summer.

We’d settled in the center room, next to the antique fireplace, a corner which gave us a good view of almost everything in the place.

In plain sight was the kitchen, where the chefs were busy cooking and creating amazing dishes.

Diagonally across us were various groups of people, each engaged in Sunday afternoon conversations.

The best part? The large, stained glass window right above us which flooded the place with glorious sunlight.

After I finally managed to absorb the beauty of Malvón, we ordered from an extensively large brunch menu – scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, french toast, muffins – you name it, I believe they have it. I can’t remember what Juan ordered, but mine was an absolute delight, complete with a starter of corn muffins and ginger-flavored lemonade.

I’d ordered button mushroom frittata topped with arugula leaves, brie cheese, caramelized bacon strips and walnuts. A tasty contrast of sweet, savory and spicy, it was probably one of the best brunches I’ve had in a long, long time.

Malvón’s charm comes with a price of course – for brunch, it’s at almost 100 pesos per person (this price will definitely increase with time because of Argentina’s infamous inflation). But I’d recommend it to those who don’t mind paying a little for a rustic, old-school journey back to the past, and of course, a frittata or two.