Tuesday 2 July 2013

Astrid y Gaston Lima, Peru

Lima's finest eatery is Astrid y Gaston in the Miraflores district.  This is a shopping, eating, partying area of Lima.  This marvelous place has recently been listed as one of the top 15 restaurants in the world - not in Peru, not in South America - the world!!  And rightly so.

The building is actually rather nondescript from the outside - it is next door to three guitar shops.  But once inside - the walls are covered in terrific contemporary paintings, unfortunately none for sale.  And at the back is the open kitchen framed in a high gloss fiery red.  I didn't go back and test it but it almost looks like glass.

We ordered a very interesting Peruvian wine (yes, they make excellent wine here) from the Ica area called Tacama.  There are some areas of inland Peru which are higher in elevation, thus cooler, and well-suited from vineyards.  This blanc to blanc wine is a blend of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and viognier.  It's a young wine with layers of mineral notes.  Really quite good.

Okay, normally one doesn't make reference to the bread that is brought to one's table but here it's worth it.  It was fantastic!  Five different kinds, all made in-house.  A brioche with chili peppers, a very dark pumpernickel, a multi-grain, an olive bread and a cheese that was almost as dense as cake.  For good measure, they threw in a chili breadstick as well.

I started my meal with a smoked, grilled octopus.  For those of you who remember my blog on Rio - this was as tender as the one in Rio without the mafia.  It was covered in a chorizo sauces and plated with purple foam and a coated potato.  Peru is known for its immense variety of potatoes.  My husband started with tres cebiches - one was a traditional preparation and the two others progressed to something more contemporary - the second was done with coconut milk and chilis and the third was done with substantially more heat.  

For mains, we both had a fish dish.  I had a deep sea fish, sautéed, on a bed of green asparagus risotto and wonderfully fried baby artichokes.  This was one of the best fish I've ever had - perfectly cooked and tender and beautifully spiced.  My Husband had an Amazon fish (there's a first), sautéed as well, served with swiss chard and saffron risotto.  

We'd eaten so much bread that we had to share dessert.  Oh my!  It was a chocolate ball with crunchies and marshmallow cream and raspberry compote inside.  Then warm chocolate sauce was poured over the ball so that the whole thing began to melt.  Now, for someone who doesn't care much for chocolate, I must admit that this was a little scoop of heaven - smooth and creamy.

What a fantastic meal - wine and bread and wonderful food creations.  My husband swears that it's the best meal he's ever had.


courtesy of www.tripadvisor.com

Lima, Peru May, 2013

We visited three sites in Lima - a very unusual city - that gave us a sense of its history and development.  Our first stop was at the Pacific Ocean - on which the Park of Love is perched.  The lovely place sits atop the cliffs of Chorrillos right at the ocean.  The park is set on several levels ultimately leading down to the beach.  One of its highlights is a series of mosaic tiles in several low walls, used to write romantic quotes.  A multi-coloured creation inspired by the great Gaudi of Barcelona and his beautiful Parc Guell.
The park is also full of glorious flower beds lining the stairs at each level.  The park's most inspiring element is a large elevated sculpture.  The Kiss, created by Victor Delfin in 1993, is the primary focus of the park both for the size of the piece and its title.  All the various parts of the park work hand in hand to make this experience a very welcoming, romantic atmosphere.






























Playa Mayor provided some history of Lima - this is the main square and the birthplace of the city.  With a beautiful fountain in its centre, the plaza is surrounded by important buildings - the Cathedral of Lima, the Presidential Palace, the Archbishop's Palace and City Hall.  What is most interesting about this site is the variety of architecture.  Each side of the square seems to have been influenced by a different period.

Cathedral of Lima























Our most fascinating stop was at the Monastery of San Francisco - a structure designed in the high Spanish Baroque style, completed in 1774.  The monastery is devoted to the founder of the Dominican order, St. Francis of Assisi, with some 60 monks continuing to live on the premises.  In the public areas ('cause that's all I could see), one can view paintings by both local and European painters of the Mannerist style depicting the life of St. Francis.  Surrounding the courtyard are walls of hand painted tiles where azure blue and sunshine yellow dominate.  The monastery's most significant offering is the Museo de Catacombs.  Below the church itself are preserved catacombs, still housing femurs and skulls of centuries of believers.  Disturbingly, this is also where secret tunnels lead to what was a Tribunal of the Inquisition.  Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed so I am unable to provide evidence of my visit.

this is the entrance to the church itself

Lima is a fascinating city with numerous influences both from other places in South America as well as the rest of the world.  The people are most welcoming and they are eager to expose you to the delights of their metropolis - they are very proud of what Lima has to offer.  If you ever get the chance to travel here, take it!