Photo credit: Greg Powers
By: Laurie Wallin
Capital Cooking Contributor
Jose Andres continues to push the
food envelope and grow his empire with his latest concept, China Chilcano.
Currently one of the hardest reservations to score in the city, China Chilcano
showcases Peru’s vast culinary heritage, with its native Criollo having roots
in every dish on the menu. In addition, Andres weaves Chinese Chifa and
Japanese Nikkei cuisines into China Chilcano’s dishes as well, giving a diner
the opportunity to sample several different cuisines in one trip. The extensive
research Andres’ team embarked on before opening the restaurant really paid off;
flavors blend beautifully and the extensive menu has something for everyone.
The restaurant is big and bright,
centered by gorgeous red tones. A beautiful mural anchors the back wall, while
the neon red lights lining the ceiling lead to a fun, exciting vibe, especially
at night. During the day, the restaurant is full of wood tones and bright
colors, full of wood tones which create warmth throughout the restaurant. Photo
credit: Ken Wyner
There was no way I could pass up the
chance to begin my meal with classic Peruvian drink – a Pisco Sour. China
Chilcano’s, made with Macchu Pisco, lime, egg white, and Amargo Chuncho bitters
has a nice balance of sweet and sour with perfect egg white foam on top. Photo
credit: Greg Powers
I started my meal with the Chifles
Chiferos con Salsa – fried plantain chips and lotus root chips with sweet
potato-rocoto sauce. The plantains had a nice crunch – not too salty – and were
slightly sweet. The sauce had a nice kick, and I noticed that the lotus chips
were much more salty. Afterwards, I sampled the Ceviche Clásico La Mar, with
fresh fish, leche de tigre, sweet potato, red onion, cancha and cilantro. The
ceviche was nicely balanced with a citrus soup-like base and the sweetness of
the sweet potato. I then tried the California Causagiri, China Chilcano’s
version of a “California Roll,” this one made with potato causa, jumbo lump
crab, tobiko, spicy mayo, cucumber, avocado, and huancaína sauce. This was one
of my favorites of the evening – incredibly creative and visually stunning.
Photo credit: Greg Powers
I sampled three Sui Mai (dumplings)
– the Dorado (shrimp), Concha (scallop), and Pollo (chicken), all served with
black vinegar-chicha de jora sauce. Without a doubt, my favorite was the shrimp
– the quail egg on top elevates the dish; although the scallop was incredibly
tender and came in a close second.
Without a doubt, my favorite dish
of the evening was the Tam Tam noodles – hand-cut wheat noodles with spicy
pork, peanut and aji panca. These were stick-to-your ribs good with a great
kick but nicely balanced with the sweetness of the peanut. Next, I sampled the
Aeropuerto, with fried rice, egg noodles, crisp sweet potato, 20 vegetables,
soy sprout, and “airplanes.” The dish was very filling with a nice selection of
seasonal vegetables. Photo credit: Greg Powers
I’m not generally a huge desserts
fan, but I would definitely order the Suspiro Limeña in a heartbeat; the iconic
dessert of Peru, this dish was not only visually stunning, but delicious, with
sweetened condensed milk custard topped with soft & crunchy meringue and
passion fruit. The smooth milk custard nicely balanced the richness of the
passion fruit, and the meringue added a nice crunch. Photo credit: Greg Powers
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