According to pretty much every travel and gourmet magazine, Lima is the culinary capital of the world. Well, we can only second that and more. 2 days, 7 meals and they were ALL above expectations. Granted, we ate two nights in what are known as amongst the top 5 within the world and which would surely have several Michelin stars. Apparently the government has to apply for Michelin reviews in the country, which they haven t done yet (and really, why should they?) Both Maido and Kjolle were not only truly exceptional in the plate, amazingly so all the way through to desserts which were just as fabulous as the main dishes and with the perfect balance of sweetness (more on that below) but also in terms of service, probably the best we have ever had, 3 star restaurants included. Friendly, swift, super explanations, every staff member on top of the game and one especially remarkable thing: they were super super attentive about Nilay’s nut allergy, making sure to explain proactively when we could let him try a dish from our tasting menu or not.
Maido (which means ‘welcome’ in Japanese) is the flagship restaurant of chef Mitsuharu Tsumura, specialised in inventive Peruvian-Japanese bites. Having read so much about it, I was very excited to have managed to get a table (2 months in advance) and to try the legendary tasting menu. We made the kids do a 2 hour nap before to ensure we could enjoy this 3 hour journey fully and it was, indeed, amazing! The dishes were inventive without being pretentious, deliciously supported by sauces without these being overbearing, and beautifully presented. This was also the first time we tried guinea pig, apparently a delicacy in Peruvian highlands. (It tastes like turkey).
Our favorite dish at Maido was definitely the urchin sushi which simply melted in your mouth, but also the short rib with pickled vegetables and heated rice paper was memorable. The desserts were both fabulous, also the kids’ ones (the dessert menu name is cornily suggestive but accurate after all)..
For Thierry’s birthday, we went to Kjolle (pronounced “Yollee”, the name is derived from a vegetable that grows in the Andes), the brainchild of Pià Léon, top Peruvian chef for years and long time number two of world famous Central, known for its meticulous work on and with indigenous vegetables and fruits, marrying ingredients in a dish only if they grow/ live in the same habitat and altitude. She opened her place just above (in a beautiful, bright and warm space that feels modern and warm) and while she mixes things up more, her love for the culinary riches Peru has to offer as well as the desire to spread the word and share the knowledge is omnipresent. The tasting menu had at least one if not several ingredients we had never heard of, and the servers readily brought the vegetable or fruit to the table to let us discover it. With this came another pleasant surprise which we’ve previously only ever experienced at Arnolfo in Tuscany (2 stars): all the dishes actually celebrated the vegetable and did not use it merely as a deco sidekick to the meat or fish (similarly in Maido). Needless to say, with all this, we were in heaven, in fact, we thought it was another notch above Maido. It was also great that the children enjoyed tasting many of the different dishes.
Maca root and bread
Our favorites at Kjolle: the cured duck tartar (surprising!!) with squid and kañiwa, the pork with cocona (a bit like an appley tomato) and cauliflower and the slow cooked beef to perfection on burnt corn and paico. With the desserts we discovered our love for chichimoya (in India we call it the custard apple) with 100% cacao chips from Cuzco and Amazonian honey powder (never had that before!).
Sea bass & razor clams w black mashwa 
Sea urchin, coco & lemon verbena 
Mashwa 
Scallops & Pacae seeds 
Fresh Pacae 
Charred vegetables & Huamantanga 
Tubers: Yucca, Olluco, Potato 
yum! 
Amazing: cured duck tartare w flatbread Arequipa style 
Yacon, Chonta & Artichoke 
Pork jowl w Cocona & Cauliflower 
Slow cooked beef, macambo & burnt corn
Besides all these wonderfully extravagant dinners we also had a great lunch at Pescados Centrales where we first discovered the typical Peruvian dish Causa (which is essentially potato and grilled peppers purée topped with whatever takes your fancy), and a massive cake fiesta for Thierry’s birthday at Ana Avellana (the pecan pie and cheese cakes (passion fruit as well as plain) in particular were to die for! As were the quiches….), all of which were great and highly recommendable!
