There’s this restaurant right on the edge of the ocean in Lima that I’ve been dreaming about since I got home. In a strange way it reminds me of Newfoundland – a little diner serving fish and chips and homemade muffins up the road from the ferry out in Portugal Cove that takes you across to Belle Island. Except in Lima this restaurant is three stories high, commanding a better view, and it’s also fine dining. The menu is an enormous selection of ceviches, tiraditos and steamed, baked and fried fish. To round it out there are also options with crab and crawfish stuffed between layers of chili-laced mashed potato and avocado slices, and there are also some other meats and cheese options. Throw in a handful of fresh juices, chicha morada, and an exotic fruit made into dessert menu and you’ve got your bases covered.
The first time I came here I wanted the ceviche, straight up, but that seemed boring compared to the Assassin ceviche which was a mix of flounder, squid, octopus, crawfish, and black conchas (kind of like mussels?). Then you could either get it as a ceviche or as something else which is basically a ceviche served in a bowl instead of on a plate, so you get more of the lime and chili-based fish-marinating juices. I also had a shot of black conchas leche de tigre to start, which was far better than the standard leche de tigre. The black one had a scallop in it which stole the show. The acidic marinade was intoxcating because of the contrast with the sweetness of the lone scallop. It was just one oversized shotglass but it was the perfect start to the meal.
Well, sort of start. First there were giant, unpopped white corn kernels doused in salt for a great snack.
The causa was just fine, with fresh fish and a little spicy rocoto pepper sauce, and the tiradito (like ceviche but sashimi-style cuts of fish covered in sauce) was swimming in a similar red cream, making it almost enough to cover the blandness of the soft corbhina fish. But the black conchas ceviche…it stole the show. Better than the beautifully plated steamed pescado surdido in a tomato-based sauce, and the baked version with amarillo pepper.
No room for dessert here. Sorbets and meringues with fresh fruit, cakes, and pastries will have to wait for another trip to Lima. But even then I will probably just want to order the assasin again. The trick will be to make more Limeno/a friends from whose plates I can steal tastes of other dishes.
Next time.
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