Claudy's Kitchen, Part 2
I managed to take home a few whole Pollo a la Brasa, with the Huancaina fettuccine with smoked pork rib pieces and shrimp Chaufa, plus some Lomo Saltado and Chicharron Empanadas, Coffee flan and the canchita popcorn. As much as I ordered, there is a whole lot more that appears on their menu after scanning the QR Codes on the tables.
The Canchita is a nice crunchy snack on its own, but is kicked up a notch with the green sauce. If you like popcorn, try the canchita. The Lomo Saltado Empanadas are good and very good relative to empanadas I have had elsewhere, but the Chicharron Empanadas are where it's at here. The pork belly is not too fatty and the flavor and texture will keep these on steady rotation every time you come here.
The Huancaina sauce over the fettuccine pasta with the small pieces of smoked pork rib meat will remind you of pancetta, but the Huancaina sauce is familiar with a cheesy and creamy texture that barely hints at the yellow peppers in the sauce. This is comfort food that accompanies the Pollo a la Brasa with the green sauce perfectly. They could have been more generous with the pork rib in this dish and the pieces are so small I had to taste them alone to know how they taste, otherwise becoming lost in the sauce. The Shmrip Chaufa, which, like the fettuccine, can be ordered with several proteins, hints at the East Asian influence on Peruvian cuisine, similar to the Lomo Saltado. It's a great fried rice, that elsewhere would go well with soy sauce. Here, the green sauce is on order. The salad that came with the family meal is crisp lettuce, tomato and cucumber with their bright vinaigrette dressing and it cuts across the rich and savory flavors you experience here.
I reserved the last, but not least, for the Pollo a la Brasa. You will start eating this with a knife and fork, but end cleaning the bones with your hands in mouth. This is where you'll get down and don't care who is watching as you devour this chicken, where the flavor and texture of the crisp skin, gives way to tender and juicy chicken and ends with the flavor of the bones. The skin was crisp after coming out of my oven at home and would come out even better in a convection oven or air fryer. As good as the Lomo Saltado is, the Pollo a la Brasa is better in my opinion. The green sauce puts this chicken over the top and this chicken must be among the best roasted or rotisserie chicken you can find among the five boroughs.
The coffee flan is very good. I am not one who can evaluate flan, given I don't eat it often. I don't have a sweet tooth typically. However, I appreciated the texture and contrast with the coffee.
My total for all this came to $160 before tip, which is not bad for this amount of quality food and befitting of the Michelin Bib Gourmand rating. One well known chain of Peruvian restaurants in the City will charge you the same family meal price for one chicken and it will not be as good. It's midweek and I'm still eating and the other chicken is in the freezer for another time.
4.3 very returnworthy stars! read more