An unassuming exterior, clean, unpretentious decor, and relatively high traffic, including a lot of Peruvians and other foreigners, is the first clue that this is a place out of the ordinary, where the marketing plan is basically that people who love food offer the food they love with great professionalism to all comers, and forget about the window-dressing. For the die-hard aficionado, finds like this don't happen every day.
Quick, polite staff give you a run-down of what's what, take your order when you're ready, and turn it around very quickly. Two to four servers manage about eight tables downstairs and a banquet-room upstairs without missing a beat, moving very swiftly around the floor while being courteous & relaxed with customers, never making you feel rushed.
The first surprise with the food is that the presentation is very showy. Many dishes look a little like tropical birds. Someone in the kitchen is not fooling around. These plates are large and very ornate, with bright pink sauce drizzles and architectural yam and yuca stilts strategically planted over carefully molded rice and thoughtfully distributed ingredients, announcing that this is no ordinary plate of food.
And then on to the tasting. Perfectly cooked rice, firm but tender calamari, and fish marinated to perfection resting on artfully contrasting sauces. Flavors are fresh, permeating, and not overbearing, with a harmonious combination that manages to compliment the identity of each ingredient in a way that belies the heavy Asian influences in traditional Peruvian food.
This is very hearty gourmet food, or very gourmet hearty food. Not sure which way to go on that one. Either way, you win. The ornate presentation seems almost out of place, but in no way detracts from the outstanding care the kitchen obviously takes in selecting ingredients, controlling freshness, and executing recipes with excellence and consistency.
We walked in on a week-day evening after being underwhelmed by a well-reviewed restaurant nearby, and liked it so well we went back for lunch the next day, and were treated to exactly the same experience and food as the night before, despite the different mix of customers with more locals and faster tables. This will be on our list of required stops in Valparaiso for years to come. read more
