The story of fine dining in Lima, and cultural food pride in general, all stems from one man. Seems like a very broad statement, but every single person in Peru knows the name Gaston Acurio, and they say it with pride. This man went abroad, studied, hated his course of study, and so without telling his parents he switched into a culinary program at Le Cordon Bleu, met his pastry-chef of a wife, Astrid, and eventually moved back to Peru to open a restaurant. Since opening this restaurant was so successful, he decided to take regional specialties and upscale them in other themed restaurants. He has one called La Mer that’s all about ceviche. It currently has outlets across south America, the Us, and Euope. Another is all about Peruvians sandwiches. Another, anticuchos. And the list goes on. One of his latest creations is his restaurant “Tant’a” which is a casual bistro/café serving ceviche, tiradito, causa, tamalitos, and other Peruvian specialties that get their own theme restaurants in Acurio’s books but he also throws pasta and braised meats and cooked fish on the menu, plates theme in a European manner, and then adds some very expensive fresh juices, cocktails, and his wife’s exotic fruit desserts (lucuma and maracuya-flavoured pastry cream in the small bakery-style cake squares).
Acurio is mostly well-known for his outreach. He has at least a couple tv shows, is constantly being interviewed, is involved with local food festivals, and I was convinced he had his own TV channel since I couldn’t turn on the television in Peru without seeing his face. Basically he IS the food network. And locals love him. He’s jovial. He has people who work 20 hour days flicking on a show of him with another local chef cooking octopus. And they’re interested! They’re now a country obsessed with food, but mostly they’re proud. One of the first questions anyone will ask you when you visit the country is what do you think of the food. It’s always been this good, but now Peruvians are aware of just how good it is.
So I went to Tant’a with great expectations. Actually, I went twice. I tried ceviche, causa, chicha morada, green tamalitos, and fresh juices. Unfortunately, I should have gone with the more bistro-style dishes. Only the tamalito was amazing.
A thick patty of ground maize (corn) crushed with cilantro (for the colour, and flavour) steamed in a banana leaf and topped with marinated onions for punch was so dense and filling that I could see how a worker would be full for the rest of day. Real hearty fare. Tamales (and tamalitos – I think that just means they’re supposed to be smaller, but this one didn’t seem so diminutive…) can be made with a ton of oil (or lard, traditionally) or just a little, and this one was a nice balance, leaving you feeling warm and not so heavy as the canola or palm oil or pig fat ones you’ll find in North America (mostly at Mexican restaurants).
The tasting platter (top) was a trio of fried calamari (fine), Gaston Acurio’s classic ceviche (marinated white fish – could be anything that’s fresh that day – with the same marinated onions, a slice of rocoto red pepper to garnish, and traditional sides of boiled maize (large corn kernals, nothing like North American sweet corn) and sweet potato. the sweet potato and lime-marinade of the fish are a perfect combination. Add the pepper and you have your sweet-sour-spicy blend. Then all you need is “salty” and that comes from the fish and a little added salt, combining into the perfect leche de tigre (tiger’s milk – the sauce that accumulates under the ceviche, made from the marinade and the juices extruded by the fish. It’s supposed to be very good for stamina, thus is an aphrodisiac). The fish was fine. Bland. White. The leche de tigre was good but you don’t get much of it. Fortunately it’s ingeniously served on a bed of lettuce so you can slurp the juices.
In the middle of the photo is “Causa”. Essentially a layer of salted and slightly spicy mashed potato mixture (maybe some oil added to make it smooth, but no butter or cream), then a layer of crab meat or crayfish mixed with mayo – something kind of sweet and fishy – then a layer of avocado for texture (I was unimpressed by the avocados I had here. Even strange varieties I’d never seen before weren’t spectacular. I expected to be blown away but maybe it just wasn’t the season?), and finally another layer of potato. So really something like a crab-potato salad. Sometimes served with a hot pepper cream sauce (Acurio’s big into cream, what with his French training, though Peru in general is not so into cream, thankfully).
Chicha Morada – sweetened fermented juice made from blue maize (corn). Here it was very good, not too sweet, and without the corn syrup you’ll find in grocery store varieties. Kind of like the sangria of Peru but alcohol-free.
The exotic juices cost you a pretty penny. Up to 17 soles, which is more than half the price of a meal. But you get blends of jungle fruit. If you want standard single-fruit juices I think it’s overpriced. But if the restaurant isn’t making money on alcohol…Actually in general I think the restaurant is overpriced. Acurio ca set up a restaurant anywhere in the city and it’ll be a success because his name is associated with it. Tourists will come and pay the astronomical prices (not really, by American, European, or Canadian standards, but very much so by Peruvian stands). It was explained to me that Acurio can go to the local culinary institute and cherry-pick the top graduates, then ask them to work in his new restaurants. So as long as he keeps opening restaurants he’s providing incredible work opportunities for the up-and-coming generation of chefs that idolize him. He’s also opening his own cooking school, and it’s outside of Lima so as to focus on regional cuisines. He’s doing a lot of great things, helping and inspiring young people in the country, but who knows if he actually cooks anymore. With all the restaurant openings, interviews and television he does I’d be surprised if you can find him behind a stove at his best restaurant, Astrid y Gaston anymore. Fortunately, the flagship place is supposed to live up to its reputation. Next time I’m in Peru I’ll be checking it out.
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