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When Ekeko founder Luciano Vanini says that Peru is the gastronomic capital of the Americas, he’s not exaggerating. In recent years, the country has experienced a culinary renaissance that’s garnered attention around the globe. Its top restaurants have included Central and Maido (both of Lima) which have ranked among the World’s 50 Best Restaurants (and in the top ten, no less).
So it’s easy to see why Vanini is proud of his native cuisine. So proud, in fact, that he devoted an entire venue to it, Ekeko. Here, he aims to showcase the diversity of Peruvian cuisine – which holds the Guinness World Record for having the greatest number of national dishes. That means looking beyond Lima to showcase dishes around the country – from the coast to the Andes to the Amazon.
The menu starts with ceviche, one of Peru’s most notable exports. At Ekeko, it might come in six variations – five made with seafood and one vegan alternative made with custard apple. Each style of ceviche is cured in leche de tigre – a citrus marinade believed to be an aphrodisiac – plus steamed sweet potatoes and fresh and toasted corn.
Other small plates might include cheesy grilled scallops and tomato-topped mussels; salads made with hearts of palm or ancient grains; six varieties of anticuchos, an Andean-style meat skewer served here with chilli-spiked potatoes.
And then there are the mains. If you can’t decide where to start, Vanini suggests the lomo saltado, formed through the influence of Chinese diaspora in Peru, and one of the nation’s best-selling dishes aside from ceviche. Another Chinese-Peruvian mashup is the arroz con mariscos, a wok-fried rice with prawns, calamari and Ekeko’s catch of the day. Meanwhile, showcasing the country’s Italian migration might be fettuccine topped with a cheese sauce called huancaína.
To drink there are Pisco Sours, of course, available in ten styles ranging from classic to mango chilli sour. Otherwise, you might try a traditional Peruvian lager, best enjoyed from Ekeko’s covered, heated courtyard.
We do not seek or accept payment from the cafes, restaurants, bars and shops listed in the Directory – inclusion is at our discretion. Venue profiles are written by independent freelancers paid by Broadsheet.
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