Josh and I were feeling pretty relaxed and cozy after our soak in the hot springs so we debated whether we should go straight to bed or grab a late dinner. We had an early start to the next day and we wanted the rest but we figured that we would need energy as well so we decided to head up to the main building for dinner. Since the hotel is in such a remote location, the hotel restaurant was our only option.
When we got to the restaurant, we had a choice between the buffet or ordering a la carte. The altitude had sapped our appetites so we decided to go a la carte since neither of us could stomach facing a buffet. After placing our orders, we munched on the pita-like bread that they brought us. It had a sweet,wheaty flavor to it and had a nice chewy texture.
Pita bread
We decided to split an appetizer to start, opting for a dish called the trout trilogy, which was trout served three ways. The trout came from the river so we figured it would be something fresh and local. It was, but to our surprise, the trout flesh was pink like salmon, not like the trout I’ve seen here in the U.S. The trout preparations included smoked trout, fried in quinoa croquettes, and fried with amaranth.
Trout trilogy
The appetizer platter was huge, and everything on it was really tasty. I was a bit wary when I saw the croquette covered in cheese but it was fabulous – perfectly fried, crispy on the outside, and creamy on the inside. The cheese added a little saltiness and a little tang, and I liberally dipped these in the ramekin of salsa for some spice.
Trout and quinoa croquettes
Fresh salsa
We didn’t know what amaranth was when we ordered the trilogy, but it turned out to be little white seeds similar to sesame seeds. The strips of trout were coated in the seeds and then fried, which gave them a nice crunch. We dipped these into the sweet and citrusy sauce that came with the platter.
Fried trout strips with amaranth
Sweet citrus dipping sauce
The smoked trout was Josh’s least favorite dish of the bunch, but then again, he’s not a fan of smoked fish in general. I mean, he doesn’t like lox! Who doesn’t like lox? The trout had a subtle smoke flavor and wasn’t overly salty, which I liked. It was a tad dry though, so I remedied that by pouring the salsa over it. That resulted in a nice smoky, sweet, spicy combination.
Smoked trout
For our entree, we had even more trout. Hey, it was the local specialty! We split an order of trout covered in a mascarpone cream sauce with capers and chopped onions. The trout was well cooked, with a crisp exterior and tender on the inside. The cream sauce wasn’t overly rich, and while the onions seemed like a weird addition at first, they helped brighten up the whole dish. We had our choice of side dish so we opted for gnocchi with pesto sauce, which was surprisingly light in texture. The pesto sauce packed in good basil flavor, and it was a good choice overall.
Trout with mascarpone, capers, and chopped onions
For our second entree, we wanted something lighter so we chose a vegetarian dish that sounded interesting. It was called quinoa tabbouleh and was served with peas, carrots, sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, figs, mango, and avocado in a sweet and sour sauce made with honey and lemon juice. Traditional tabbouleh, which is made with tons of parsley and mint mixed with bulgur, lemon juice, and olive oil, is one of Josh’s favorite dishes. He loves the bright herb flavor and the freshness and brightness of the dish. Unfortunately, this version was nothing like the original. While quinoa is similar to bulgur, this tabbouleh had no herbs and the fruit was an odd addition. The quinoa itself was really bland, while the sweet and sour sauce clashed with the fruit and vegetables. We were pretty disappointed with this dish and left most of it behind.
Quinoa tabbouleh
I was kind of bummed when I found out how far away our hotel was from town because I didn’t want to eat at the hotel restaurant. In our experience, hotel food is usually overpriced and not always as good as local restaurants. What we didn’t know was that dinner was included in our stay. No one from the tour company told us that so I don’t know if dinner is included with everyone’s stay, or if we paid extra for it, and what the spending limit was.
This was annoying to me because if the buffet had been included in our package, and we had already paid for it, then obviously we would have gone with that. If I had paid extra to eat a la carte without knowing, that would have made me furious. Luckily that wasn’t the case, but maybe we would have ordered differently if we knew that we could spend X amount of soles, considering that the cost would have already been factored in our tour rate. Either way it wasn’t the hotel’s fault, it was an issue I had with the tour company, and we tipped the server on what our dinner would have cost based on the menu prices.
So, back to the food. I was pretty pleased with our appetizer platter and with the trout entree. It was a lot of trout, but everything was prepared differently and had different flavors so I wasn’t overwhelmed or bored by the trout. The tabbouleh dish was pretty bad though, and definitely not something I would eat again. The restaurant had a nice, relaxed atmosphere, and service was attentive. It’s probably a place that is only frequented by hotel guests, but there were prices on the menu so I guess you could walk in if you were in that neck of the woods. As far as hotel food goes, this was really good, though prices seemed pretty high. We did enjoy our meal overall, and it was a nice way to finish our day.
Restaurant Los Condores
Colca Lodge
Fundo Puye S/N – Yanque. Caylloma – Valle del Colca
Av. Luis Gonzales 622
Peru