Astrid & Gastón, Lima, 4/22/16

Exterior
Exterior

This large place is located in an old mansion and has several dining rooms for the two tasting menus, one for a la carte dining, a bar area as well as a test kitchen and rental space. Lots of interesting art decorates the walls, there are purse stools, fancy linens and dishes, and a couple amuse bouche as well as extra desserts sereved- if Michelin gets to Lima they want to be noticed. My understanding is that they really got the fine dining movement started in Lima and in the tasting area rooms it is a nicely dressed crowd enjoying their services. It was definitely more casual in the a la carte room, which also has a separate kitchen. Did I mention the place is large???

on the outside staircase
on the outside staircase

We got the longer of the tasting menus and chose our own bottles of wine rather than the wine pairings that they offered. One other feature of note was the bathroom that was a huge round circle, half of which housed men and the other half was women. The doors are actually curved and the other interesting feature is the small man or woman symbol located on the ceiling light fixture to indicate which side to go on. The staff were pleasant and very attentive and spoke great English. We were lucky to have Corina, a fellow cat lover, as our server. In a slight variation to my usual write up, I’ve included comments with the descriptions under each picture, but overall if you find yourself in Lima, give this place a try.

reception area
reception area
dining room
dining room
Frankie napped on the purse stool
Frankie napped on the purse stool
dining room looking thru to bar
dining room looking thru to bar
another dining room
another dining room
more casual dining room
more casual dining room
another room
another room
some kitchen
some kitchen
menu back
menu back
wine menu 1
wine menu 1
wine menu 2
wine menu 2
2 tasting menus
2 tasting menus
Frankie played on the table decoration
Frankie played on the table decoration
Chicken, sweet sauce and crisp rice cracker
Amuse bouche: Chicken, sweet sauce and crisp rice cracker
as plated
Amuse: as plated
Chilcano, traditional soup. Crunchy exterior with olive tasting liquid center
Chilcano, traditional soup. Crunchy exterior with olive tasting liquid center
Pork and cheese with veggies on top. Very crispy
Pork and cheese with veggies on top. Very crispy
breads
Rye/sesame and white breads
Bread spreads: Avacado (really tasty), tomato (smokey) and butter
Bread spreads: Avocado (really tasty), tomato (smokey) and butter
white wine
white wine
Cebiche limeño, catch of the day and aji limo
Cebiche limeño, catch of the day and aji limo. Fish was Covina with onions, chilies, corn and potato. Good flavors and no cilantro
close
close up
Causa, smoked chicken, avocado, shallots in escabeche
Causa, smoked chicken, avocado, shallots in escabeche
different view
different view
close up
close up
IMG_8432
Vegetarian cebiche, cauliflower leche de tigre, fresh and roasted vegetables of the day. The sauce was from cauliflower. It was very fresh and nice but not overwhelming. Full of good flavors but no cohesive taste.
Scallops, Cesar's leche de tigre, roasted lettuce, basil and tomatoes
Scallops, Cesar’s leche de tigre, roasted lettuce, basil and tomatoes. Lots of parmesan cheese and basil. The bit of lettuce was grilled and crispy bread on top. It tasted more Italian, almost like a Caesar salad. Good.
Camaron, chupe sauce, fava beans salad, mashed potatoes
Camaron, chupe sauce, fava beans salad, mashed potatoes. Really different and fun taste. Chupe is broth and this was made from seafood.
Confit cuy, yuca, rocoto hoisin, fall criolla sweet peanut
Confit cuy, yuca, rocoto hoisin, fall criolla sweet peanut. This was Guinea pig with crispy skin. It was quite savory. I could’ve eaten a pile of these!
as plated
as plated
another angle
another angle
Frankie found her mermaid
Frankie found her mermaid
Octopus, tomato water, lentis chimichurri and potato cream
Octopus, tomato water, lentil chimichurri and potato cream
ropes in the bathroom
ropes in the bathroom
bathroom pod
bathroom pod
mark for 'ladies' - subtle!
mark for ‘ladies’ – subtle!
men's bathroom marker
men’s bathroom marker
Frankie found a swing in the bathroom
Frankie found a swing in the bathroom
Catch of the day, corn cream, vongoles juice, sweet potatoes, ham broth veil
Catch of the day, corn cream, vongoles juice, sweet potatoes, ham broth veil. Mild.
as plated
as plated
red wine
red wine
Duck, corn, cress, membrillo
Duck, corn, cress, membrillo. A little gritty and gummy – strange – but some how still was fun to eat.
as plated
as plated
from the side
from the side
Egg, smoked guanciale, spinach, baby ribs broth
Egg, smoked guanciale, spinach, baby ribs broth. Amazing textures – like the egg was fried after being poached but not at all greasy. Guanciale really tasty.
Nikei beef cheek, stew and pickled raddish, miso juice, heliport
Nikei beef cheek, stew and pickled raddish, miso juice, heliport. Served with Peruvian fried rice and you eat them together. It was a wonderful combination of flavors.
as served
as served
Peruvian fried rice
Peruvian fried rice
Chilcano, apples and mint
Chilcano, apples and mint
Lucuma, San Martin Coffee, tangerine
Lucuma, San Martin Coffee, tangerine. Very different tastes but really fun.
as plated
as plated
inside
inside
brought to the table
brought to the table
Add chocolate sauce
Add chocolate sauce
adding another sauce
adding another sauce
Chocolate, lemon ice cream, oregano croutons, chocolate sauce
Finished product: Chocolate, lemon ice cream, oregano croutons, chocolate sauce. It was fun to play with the various combinations of flavors but not a killer dessert.
Frankie wanted to help stir it up
Frankie wanted to help stir it up
box for bon bons
box for bon bons
Crystalized hocolate bon bons, oregano bon bons, Chocolate caramel bon bons
Crystalized hocolate bon bons, oregano bon bons, Chocolate caramel bon bons
Corina, our waitress
Corina, our waitress
Frankie thought there should be a catnip one
Frankie thought there should be a catnip one

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