Central Restaurante
The two-time winner of the Latin
America’s 50 Best Restaurants
takes diners on a culinary journey
through Peru’s varied regions with
its choice of ingredients, traditional
cooking methods and new culinary
techniques. For a crash course in
what Peru’s land can offer, sample
from Head Chef Virgilio Martinez’s
Mater Elevations tasting menu.
Inspired by the landscapes and
produce of the country, the menu is
divided into different altitudes
where each Peruvian ingredient is
found. Native ingredients from land
and sea are prepared in a novelty of
ways – dehydration and
fermentation are just two
techniques employed – and
presented as a reflection of their
natural ecosystem.
Ocentralrestaurante.com.pe/enMaido
Peru’s diverse culture is best experienced at Maido by Mitsuharu.
Mitsuharu Tsumaru is the Lima-born chef that heads operations
here. Peru has the second largest ethnic Japanese population in
South America (Brazil has the largest) and Maido serves up
Nikkei cuisine, an amalgamation of Japanese-influenced
Peruvian food (or vice versa, depending on whom you ask) that
comes from more than 100 years of Japanese immigration
into Peru. Tsumaru is a professionally trained chef who
honed his skills in the nuances of Japanese cuisine
back in sushi restaurants across Japan. Expect
Japanese delicacies and techniques paired with
Peruvian ingredients for artful creations like
grilled octopus, botija olives, tofu and crispy
black quinoa; guinea pig confit with molle
pepper, chilled harusame noodles with
sanbaizu (Japanese vinegar) and rocoto (a
type of South American chilli).
Omaido.pe/enEat
FROM ABOVE Journey
through Peru at Central
Restaurante, Nikkei
cuisine – Japanese-
influenced Peruvian food
at MaidoPHOTOGRAPHS: CENTRAL RESTAURANTE , MAIDO