Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or Staten Island, you know by now that Lima, Peru is one of the best food cities in the world. I already discussed La Mar and I will write a post on Merito (spoiler alert: Its good) at some point. We had surprisingly one less than stellar meal at Alegría Picantería Piurana, and three excellent meals at spots you normally dont see on the “Best of Lists”.
Tomo Cocina Nikkei
I spent a fair amount of time trying to pick the right Nikkei and I was satisfied with Tomo. Was it flawless? Not exactly. But its strengths are enough to come back, especially now that I know what to order. Both founding chefs worked at Maido, number one currently on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. We sat at the quiet airy terrace that didnt have a whole lot of ambiance during this midweek lunch. Better ambiance at the bar downstairs, but you sacrifice light and vitamin D.
As in other places, the Tiradito (More like Crudo, not Ceviche) hasnt won us over. It featured that day’s catch, Flounder, that wasnt very flavorful and wasnt saved by the sauce. The Nigiris on the other hand were superb. Highlights were the tuna belly, and their specialty Baci – Scallop, Loche squash butter, and Ebi Volcán (like a mildly spicy chopped shrimp salad), torched table side. Essentially Nikkei in a nutshell. The Bay Scallops (top picture) were standouts as well.
Quipas
A hidden jewel in plain sight in the heart of Miraflores, opened two years ago by a former Mayta sous chef. One of those places that as a tourist, you either need to quit your job to spend all your time researching, or know someone to find it. Chances are, like us, you’ll be the only tourist in the room. Unless of course Quipas fame finally catches up with it by the time you read this.
One of the signatures is a dish simply called Scallops and Asparagus, but there’s nothing simple about it. Silky smooth Scallops from the north with finely diced Asparagus, a cream of more asparagus, herbs, lime and other goodies, all covering a bean puree. As just about every such dish in Peru, eaten with a spoon as intended.
There was also a nice baby octopus that looked like a pretty healthy baby to me. Good Empanadas, and decent corn and cheese that was honestly pedestrian when compared to other corn and cheese dishes we had in Peru. After watching it paraded all over the room, I regretted not getting the Duck Rice. The dessert was another triumph. A stuffed cherimoya, “the most delicious fruit known to men” according to Mark Twain. Its stuffed with Chirimoya Pulp, mandarin, and some sort of crumbly biscuit for crunch. Light and not too sweet.
Cosme
Remember, I said “lesser”. Cosme is gaining popularity by the day and may even crack the world’s top 50 on November 4th (ceremony in Lima). It already jumped to #9 on the Latin America’s 50 Best. But its still not featured on most Lima lists hence not on the tourist radar. One of the coolest things here is Cosme’s funky decor with over 5000 plastic bottles hanging from the ceiling about to fall on you or worse the food, any minute.
The food was simply glorious. There was a fine Octopus with Quinoa pesto. Expertly seared tuna tataki with Ají Amarillo sauce. A decadent rice and shrimp. And Beef cheek, that wasn’t super tender but had nice deep flavors. And then the main event that needs 20 minutes to prepare. A chocolate lava cake with Lucuma playing the lava part, a celebrated local fruit. Peruvian tubers and fruits are next level
