After our city tour of Lima it was time for lunch. We knew exactly what we wanted to eat – ceviche! It’s considered to be a Peruvian specialty, and we were told that most Peruvians only eat ceviche for lunch so we asked our hotel for a restaurant recommendation. The concierge sent us to Alfresco, which was only a short walk from our hotel, and he hooked us up with two free Pisco Sours as welcome drinks at the restaurant.
Pisco Sour
Pisco is a Peruvian brandy that tastes a bit like tequila to me. A Pisco Sour is made with lime juice, egg whites, sugar, and Pisco, so it’s actually very similar to a margarita. They blend it with ice to make it creamy, and the egg whites make it very frothy. I found it to be a refreshing drink, plus it packed a good alcoholic punch.
When they brought our Pisco Sours, they also brought us a small dish of canchas, or Peruvian corn nuts. They’re basically corn kernels that are toasted in vegetable oil and covered in salt, but they don’t pop like popcorn. The kernels stay intact, but they’re light and crunchy and pretty addictive.
Toasted cancha (corn nuts)
The restaurant charged us a cover charge, which included bread. I don’t remember how much the cover charge was exactly, but it wasn’t outrageous. The bread was small, soft rolls covered in sesame seeds and flavored with Italian herbs. They weren’t bad, but the herb flavor didn’t really go with our ceviche.
Italian herb flavored rolls
The menu at Alfresco is pretty extensive, with seafood the obvious focus, but Josh and I were only interested in the ceviche and other preparations of raw or close to raw fish. We decided on two platters from the “Dishes to Share” section of the menu, since that provided us with the most variety of items to try. The first platter was called “Fresh Seafood, Just Perfect” and included flounder and octopus ceviche, tiradito with coriander cream, tuna tartare, grilled shrimp, and inkamaki.
"Fresh Seafood" platter
There was a ton of food on the platter, and all of it was really very tasty and fresh. The tuna tartare was perfectly cut into little cubes and served on a bed of avocado. Even though it was tossed in some sort of sauce, the taste of the tuna still shined through.
Tuna tartare
The flounder and octopus ceviche was tender pieces of raw fish and octopus marinated in lime juice. The acid cooks the seafood ever so slightly, so that it a slightly firmer texture than just raw fish. The lime juice also gives the dish a nice tangy flavor, and thin slivers of red onion mixed throughout add a nice bite. It was a really refreshing dish.
Flounder and octopus ceviche
The tiradito was thin slices of raw flounder topped with coriander cream, which was basically a pesto sauce made from cilantro. Even though I’m not the biggest fan of cilantro, the flavor is growing on me, and I thought the cream worked perfectly with the raw flounder. It was topped with some grated parmesan cheese, which I thought was an interesting Italian twist on the dish. I enjoyed my bite thoroughly.
Flounder tiradito
The inkamaki was two pieces of a maki roll that had tuna on top, but I’m not sure what was in the middle aside from avocado. It was sort of a standard sushi roll, nothing groundbreaking but still tasty nonetheless.
Inkamaki
Lastly, the platter came with grilled shrimp on top of fried plantain slices, topped with a creamy sauce. The shrimp was perfectly cooked, not overly tough or chewy.
Grilled shrimp on fried plaintains
Our other “Dishes to Share” order was “El Cevichero”, which was four different types of ceviche served in martini glasses. The different types of ceviche included Alfresco style, mixed, coriander, and the “black scallops’ killer.”
"El Cevichero" ceviche sampler
The Alfresco style ceviche was served in a bright orangey-red sauce, which made it look like it would be spicy but it wasn’t too bad. It had a nice pepper flavor to it but only had a slight kick.
Alfresco style ceviche
The black scallops ceviche was covered in an inky black sauce that we thought was made from squid ink, but we were told it was actually from the black scallops. The flavor was briney and deep, though the scallops themselves we found to be pretty tough and chewy.
Black scallops ceviche
The mixed ceviche was the traditional lime flavored variety, similar to the flounder and octopus ceviche we had with the other seafood platter. This version had extra seafood ingredients in it, but the flavors were the same.
Traditional mixed ceviche
Finally, the last variety of ceviche was topped with coriander cream, similar to the tiradito. The cilantro added a nice herbal note to the ceviche, and the flavors were bright and refreshing. It had the same grated parmesan topping that I found fascinating with the tiradito.
Coriander ceviche
The two platters we ordered were more than enough food to satisfy both of us. We were actually really full, even though all we ate was raw and mostly raw seafood. Everything was super fresh and delicious. Aside from the strange black scallops, all the seafood was tender and not at all chewy. Hands down, this was the best ceviche we ever had, and we enjoyed all the different varieties. The restaurant itself has a casual but refined atmosphere, and it’s bright and airy inside. We would definitely recommend it to anyone who is visiting Lima, as the food was spectacular, and prices were very reasonable. The seafood platter was 35 soles, or about US$13 (at 2.70 soles to $1), and the ceviche platter was 45 soles, or about US$16.70. Not cheap by Peruvian standards, but a bargain compared to the U.S. I’m drooling right now just remembering how good all those ceviches were!
Alfresco
Malecon Balco 790 – Miraflores
Lima, Peru
Just read the article in the New York Times April 15th ( travel Section ) features CALA Restaurant and its Pisco Sour…
Best regards to you Alfredo and Michelle.. I am a dear friend of Margas & Enrique from New York City..
Best regards,
Don Steinman