It’s been a bit since I dedicated a post to new Peruvian spots we’ve checked out, so let’s go for it!
Pica Rico, Av. Corrientes 2955, Once – The name suggests that you’ll nibble deliciously, but unfortunately, that was not to be the case. A nearly brand new spot a couple of blocks from the Abasto, with a charming waiter, but less than charming food. A prawn causa was bland – the potato base nearly unflavored, and sandwiching a thin layer of some chopped small shrimp that may have been dressed in mayo, and topped by two rubbery fried prawns with intestinal tract intact. A leche de tigre had no spice and little seasoning, and was filled with rubber erase cubes of an unidentified fish. The arroz con pato had okay fried rice below (which is not the type of rice usually served with this dish, it’s more normally a green, herbal rice), but the piece of duck atop was so dried out and chewy it wasn’t worth eating. Sorry, not sorry, this place just wasn’t worth the stop.
La Tía Meche, Bauness 1302, Parque Chas – It’s quite the hike to get to Parque Chas from home. Okay, it’s not really – I can either take a direct bus or a subway with a line transfer, each requiring a few blocks walk at both ends, and each taking about 45-50 minutes. But still, it requires some effort, you know? And so when I arrived at this hole-in-the-wall, which is touted by many as the best ceviche in the city (no one really mentions her other food), and found that the kitchen was shut down while they cleaned the extraction hood, I was a tad disappointed. Chatting with the tía, the aunt, herself, I said I’d come all the way from Recoleta to try her ceviche. She thought a minute, and announced that since it didn’t require the stove, she could still make that. And, in short order she did. Pristine cubes of lenguado, sole, dressed in fresh lime juice, salt, and chili, with a mix of red and white onion, and cilantro. I’m not sure whether it’s the best ceviche in the city, but it’s certainly up there among them, and I can’t off-hand think of a better one for a classic style ceviche. She sat down at the table with me and we talked food – she avowed that if she can’t get absolutely fresh lenguado, and rocoto chilies for her ceviche, she simply tells people it’s off the menu for the day. That’s my kind of hole-in-the-wall. Well worth the trip, and I’ll be back out there for not just the ceviche, but to try some of her other food.
Kamay Lounge, M.T. de Alvear 975, Retiro – I recently spotted a couple of downtown area Peruvian restaurants I’d not known about, and added them to my list to check out. Kamay is the Quechua word for “to prepare food”, which, of course, anyone who doesn’t know Quechua is not going to have any idea (you read it here first!), nor is it explained on the menu. A menu, by the way, that’s completely different from the one on their Instagram account. Though, in restrospect, I see that the menu on their account is over a year old (which is odd, because while their posts go back over two years, my waiter asserted that they were a new place – I wonder if they were in a different location before and have just moved recently). And a shame, too, because I’d pre-picked out a couple of dishes I wanted to try, only to find out they’re not on the actual menu.
Service is a bit… assertive. The guy attending tables brought my menu, stood there listing off the four or five dishes that I should order in his opinion, and then waited for me to pick from his list. When I asked for a little time to read through the menu, he took a mere step backwards and then continued to wait, staring at me. Repeating my request only had him back off as far away as the bar, where he stood, continuing to watch me. Very odd, and a bit uncomfortable. And throughout the meal, he kept coming over to the table to ask my thoughts on what I was eating, followed by an end of meal conversation asking me to assess everything from start to finish. Oddly, there were other customers in the place that he wasn’t doing that with. Chill, dude.
I picked the ceviche mixto, a mix of sole, prawns, and squid, in a leche de tigre based on rocoto chilies. Superb. Really superb. Up there, like the one above, in my top ceviches in the city. Totally different style, more the last minute sashimi cure, but I just let it sit for about ten minutes before starting to eat it. And then, there was the sushi. This place serves Nikkei style cooking, so sushi is a big part of the menu (something else not clear from the menu on their account). First off, another disappointment. I said I wanted to try a sushi roll, and I was happy to take their recommendation on one, but my only condition was that it be a roll without cream cheese. They simply refused. All of their rolls have cream cheese, and they will not make them without.
Except then it occurred to them that their maki acebichado, was the one roll that didn’t have any, and they could do that. Now, I’m already a bit miffed – I get that you’ve come up with combinations that you like, but I can’t see that any of the dozen or so rolls on offer would suffer from not having cheese in them. But, I acquiese and duly try to give this roll a fair shake. Unfortunately, it’s just not very good. The rice is the real problem – it’s undercooked, to the point where I’m getting gummy, chewy pieces stuck in my teeth, and it’s so doused with mirin or something else sweet, that that’s all I can taste. The fish inside is overcooked and mealy – I didn’t know it was going to be cooked in the first place. The acebichado sauce practically poured over the roll was okay, but too much of it. I ate a couple of pieces, pushed it away, and asked for the check. I do love the ceviche, but the sushi is mediocre at best, and the service is a bit more intense than I care for. Not sure I’d go back.
