kleph
23-04-2006, 12:07 AM
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/2/0/1/lam001.jpgIn the year since it opened its doors for the first time, La Mar has been one of the hottest dining spots in all of Lima. The popularity of the place isn’t a passing fancy. There is a lot more going on here than just being hip - there is some serious cooking business being done.
La Mar is the brainchild of Gaston Acurio, Peru’s wunderkund chef. He says he looked around for the “perfect” cevicheria - or seafood restaruant serving dishes in the traditional Peruvian style - in his home country and, when he couldn’t find one, decided to start his own.
Peru has always boasted an abundance from the sea and the cuisines that have emerged here have always highlighted this largess. It has only been relatively recently that there has been an emergence of restaurants that are attempting to take this long and rich tradition forward into new territory of fine dining.
The key, according to Acurio, is providing sushi quality fish in a cevicheria style atmosphere. Too often there is a formal aspect to Sushi that can impede the experience. La Mar is designed more like the classic Peruvian cevicheria where a large group of family and friends gathers at noon on Sunday and spends the whole afternoon together, eating, talking and celebrating together.
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/2/0/1/lam002.jpgThat sense begins with the design. The restaurant is adorned with a trendy sushi-style bar and formal wooden tables and chairs. That is in contrast with the open airy feel of the room. The bamboo roof that lets the sun filter into the dining area in bright slivers echos the reed mat ceilings of a rural roadside cevicheria.
Acurio is clearly aiming for the cutting edge and there is a savvy style to the place. It is the kind of restaurant where waiters send their orders in by palm pilot and it doesn’t seem a bit out of place.
But a restaurant lives or dies on the quality of the food it puts in front of you and this is where La Mar truly shines. The other key element of Peru’s formidable cuisine is the dynamic mix of cultures that have created it. You can find Incan, Spanish, Italian, African, Chinese and Japanese styles all crashing together to form one of the richest styles of cooking in the world. La Mar capitalizes on that is taking advantage of the different cuisines rather than specializing in only one.
The effort starts, logically enough, with the ceviche. This is the hallmark of Peruvian seafood. The foundation of the dish is fish that is marinated in lime juice and served. Like many regional foods, there are as many variations as there are cooks, but all start from that point and proceeds from there. This way of preparing fish and seafood works due to the stunning variety and quality of the fish you can procure in Peru
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/2/0/1/lam003.jpgWhile all the ceviches at La Mar are superb, the Nikki ceviche - a fusion of Peruvian-Japanese cooking - was sublime. The clever mix of the ingredients usually found in sushi dishes are brought to bear in the style of a ceviche. The subtle use of soy sauce gives the fresh tuna the opportunity to burst through every bit and the savory aura of sesame oil unites the tastes of the dish. Typically I am a purist when it comes to ceviche but this offering was a knockout.
The restaurant also takes the traditional Peruvian causas to a new level as well. This is usually a dish where potatoes are mixed with aji and reduced to a paste then molded around other ingredients that always include avocado. La Mar has taken to using this broad definition as a starting point for a whole range of dishes.
One of the most striking is the Nortena, that mixes lightly fried octopus, squid and grouper with red onion that has been soaked in lime juice. The flavors of the seafood are wonderfully accented by the contrasts of the sharp lime and the soothing avocado.
While the ceviches and causas on the menu are full servings you can also order smaller portions. It is a great way to wander your way across the broad spectrum of La Mar’s offerings and get an advanced course in the many varied styles of Peruvian seafood.
(Another huge advantage of ordering ceviche this way is because it is served in martini glasses. It make is much easier to drink the juice as it is done in real cevicherias rather than holding the plate up to your mouth. You can also order this as a shot with pisco called leche de tigre.)
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/2/0/1/lam004.jpgWhile these appetizers can be eaten as the entire meal, it means missing out on some astonishing main courses. Perhaps the most gloriously decadent are the planchas or hot plates are a torrent of delicious tastes and smells worth particular note. The La Mar plancha is a mix of shrimp, crab and crawfish served sizzling on a hot plate. Portabella mushrooms absorb every last bit of the sweet orange pisco sauce so you don’t miss a drop.
Perhaps what is most impressive about much of the cooking at La Mar is how much restraint is shown and respect for the quality of the ingredients being used. Even the straightforward fish dishes are cooked to the point of perfection and not allowed to lose its own formidable flavor. Sauces are subtle and chosen with a respect to the particular dish and don’t overwhelm the meat of the thing.
Acurio created the La Mar concept with the specific intention of exporting it around the world. One is slated to open soon in Mexico City and Panama. Others will follow across South America and, by the end of 2007, he hopes to have one in the United States. As a result, the Lima La Mar is the test subject for this effort and a lot of thought has gone into the menu and presentation an the staff has been extensively trained. It really shows in the quality of the food and the caliber of the service.
So, yes, you are going to pay a bit more than the usual restaurant in Peru but this is definitely a case where you will get what you pay for.
Cevicheria La Mar
Av. La Mar 770
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Phone: 51 1 421-3365
Open Tue-Sun 12:30 pm-5:00 pm
La Mar is the brainchild of Gaston Acurio, Peru’s wunderkund chef. He says he looked around for the “perfect” cevicheria - or seafood restaruant serving dishes in the traditional Peruvian style - in his home country and, when he couldn’t find one, decided to start his own.
Peru has always boasted an abundance from the sea and the cuisines that have emerged here have always highlighted this largess. It has only been relatively recently that there has been an emergence of restaurants that are attempting to take this long and rich tradition forward into new territory of fine dining.
The key, according to Acurio, is providing sushi quality fish in a cevicheria style atmosphere. Too often there is a formal aspect to Sushi that can impede the experience. La Mar is designed more like the classic Peruvian cevicheria where a large group of family and friends gathers at noon on Sunday and spends the whole afternoon together, eating, talking and celebrating together.
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/2/0/1/lam002.jpgThat sense begins with the design. The restaurant is adorned with a trendy sushi-style bar and formal wooden tables and chairs. That is in contrast with the open airy feel of the room. The bamboo roof that lets the sun filter into the dining area in bright slivers echos the reed mat ceilings of a rural roadside cevicheria.
Acurio is clearly aiming for the cutting edge and there is a savvy style to the place. It is the kind of restaurant where waiters send their orders in by palm pilot and it doesn’t seem a bit out of place.
But a restaurant lives or dies on the quality of the food it puts in front of you and this is where La Mar truly shines. The other key element of Peru’s formidable cuisine is the dynamic mix of cultures that have created it. You can find Incan, Spanish, Italian, African, Chinese and Japanese styles all crashing together to form one of the richest styles of cooking in the world. La Mar capitalizes on that is taking advantage of the different cuisines rather than specializing in only one.
The effort starts, logically enough, with the ceviche. This is the hallmark of Peruvian seafood. The foundation of the dish is fish that is marinated in lime juice and served. Like many regional foods, there are as many variations as there are cooks, but all start from that point and proceeds from there. This way of preparing fish and seafood works due to the stunning variety and quality of the fish you can procure in Peru
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/2/0/1/lam003.jpgWhile all the ceviches at La Mar are superb, the Nikki ceviche - a fusion of Peruvian-Japanese cooking - was sublime. The clever mix of the ingredients usually found in sushi dishes are brought to bear in the style of a ceviche. The subtle use of soy sauce gives the fresh tuna the opportunity to burst through every bit and the savory aura of sesame oil unites the tastes of the dish. Typically I am a purist when it comes to ceviche but this offering was a knockout.
The restaurant also takes the traditional Peruvian causas to a new level as well. This is usually a dish where potatoes are mixed with aji and reduced to a paste then molded around other ingredients that always include avocado. La Mar has taken to using this broad definition as a starting point for a whole range of dishes.
One of the most striking is the Nortena, that mixes lightly fried octopus, squid and grouper with red onion that has been soaked in lime juice. The flavors of the seafood are wonderfully accented by the contrasts of the sharp lime and the soothing avocado.
While the ceviches and causas on the menu are full servings you can also order smaller portions. It is a great way to wander your way across the broad spectrum of La Mar’s offerings and get an advanced course in the many varied styles of Peruvian seafood.
(Another huge advantage of ordering ceviche this way is because it is served in martini glasses. It make is much easier to drink the juice as it is done in real cevicherias rather than holding the plate up to your mouth. You can also order this as a shot with pisco called leche de tigre.)
http://forum.zgeek.com/gallery/files/2/0/1/lam004.jpgWhile these appetizers can be eaten as the entire meal, it means missing out on some astonishing main courses. Perhaps the most gloriously decadent are the planchas or hot plates are a torrent of delicious tastes and smells worth particular note. The La Mar plancha is a mix of shrimp, crab and crawfish served sizzling on a hot plate. Portabella mushrooms absorb every last bit of the sweet orange pisco sauce so you don’t miss a drop.
Perhaps what is most impressive about much of the cooking at La Mar is how much restraint is shown and respect for the quality of the ingredients being used. Even the straightforward fish dishes are cooked to the point of perfection and not allowed to lose its own formidable flavor. Sauces are subtle and chosen with a respect to the particular dish and don’t overwhelm the meat of the thing.
Acurio created the La Mar concept with the specific intention of exporting it around the world. One is slated to open soon in Mexico City and Panama. Others will follow across South America and, by the end of 2007, he hopes to have one in the United States. As a result, the Lima La Mar is the test subject for this effort and a lot of thought has gone into the menu and presentation an the staff has been extensively trained. It really shows in the quality of the food and the caliber of the service.
So, yes, you are going to pay a bit more than the usual restaurant in Peru but this is definitely a case where you will get what you pay for.
Cevicheria La Mar
Av. La Mar 770
Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Phone: 51 1 421-3365
Open Tue-Sun 12:30 pm-5:00 pm