Lima

Astrid & Gastón, Lima, 4/22/16

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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??? Continue reading →

Chez Wong, Lima, 4/22/16

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exterior
exterior

A small intimate place in a residential neighborhood. Chef Wong is the heart and soul of this place and the entertainment. There is no menu, you eat what he is serving and if there’s enough you may get offered seconds. If you sit a while you can get several different things or you can eat a bit and leave. Everyone starts with his ceviche which is made with flounder and octopus in a giant bowl and served with a large wooden spoon. He must have made a dozen batches while we were there as latecomers all have to start with this and it must be made fresh.   Continue reading →

Maido Cocina Nikkei, Lima, 4/21/16

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Exterior
Exterior

A medium sized place located on the second floor of a modern corner building, Maido’s main decoration is long ropes dangling from the second floor ceiling. They make an interesting visual affect but also provide a sound buffering to an otherwise set of hard surfaces including lots of mirrors and an increasing volume of music as the night goes on. Upstairs is decorated with tons of framed write ups and accolades the chef and restaurant have obtained, which you can admire on your way to the bathroom. The restaurant offers a Peruvian-Japanese fusion style of food and we pre-ordered The Experience which is a 15 course menu. They also have a sushi bar with seats and a regular bar, but there were no seats by it. Service was a little spotty but friendly.   Continue reading →

Rafael, Lima, 4/21/16

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Exterior
Exterior

We arrived at this small place as they were just opening and still in staff meeting so I had an opportunity to explore all the interesting items and art that decorated the walls. The waiters were all very nice but Joao was particularly helpful in selecting our menu and offered to divide the items and bring out each as a separate course. It made a more relaxed pace and an opportunity to savor each of the tasty offerings. This place is amazing! Definitely check it out if you have the opportunity.   Continue reading →

Central Restaurante, Lima, 4/20/16

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Exterior
Exterior

A medium sized place in the Miraflores region of Lima that specializes in foods grown in Peru. They state that the tasting menu celebrates the biodiversity of Peru. The menu utilized on our visit was to explore the various altitudes from which things are sourced, from -20 meters to 3900 above sea level.  I’m not sure it worked for me as well as all the hype I’ve read about the place. It was good in an overall sense but often too many ingredients, too much colored powder in a dish along or portion size problems detracted from the experience. The website also talks a good bit about their in house filtration system providing the purest of water and yet we were sold Acqua Panna to drink with dinner. Continue reading →

La Mar Cebichería Peruana, Lima, 4/20/16

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img_6473A large open air place that was empty just before noon but by 2:00 pm was packed with diners. The service is very helpful but at times a bit too much so.  There are lots of flavored cocktails to go with the food and the waiters seemed to push them and be less interested in the beer options. The seasonings in most of the dishes was quite pleasant but there was a similarity to the ingredients used in the various dishes. They offer bar seating as an option for small parties. Portions are large enough to split and of course ceviche is a specialty as are the wood fired options.  The meal started strong but had a crash in the middle where it went from ho hum to yuk but redeemed itself with a nice finish. Continue reading →