Luisito Comunica: What is served in the new Peruvian food restaurant of the famous Mexican youtuber?

Peruvian food is respected and Ronald Bautista he knows. The 38-year-old Huancavelicano and the youtuber Luisito Communicates partnered to open Bowling 21, which opened its doors a month ago in the Mexican capital and is already giving a lot to talk about.

Bautista is an experienced cook who came to Mexico four years ago to take over the kitchen of “Yakumanka”, a restaurant run by Gastón Acurio in the Aztec country. In various interviews, he has pointed out how grateful he is for having worked hand in hand with one of the most important references in Peruvian gastronomy.

Meanwhile, Luisito met him at a Peruvian food event, the influencer approached him and told him that he had visited our country and from that moment they made a match. Ronal Bautista spoke with Advantage from El Comercio on the restaurant menu. These are the news.

What Peruvian dishes are prepared at Bolichera 21?

In the restaurant located on Cuauhtémoc Avenue, in the Mexican capital, they have been adapting local products to Peruvian preparations, but without deviating from the main thing, which is flavor. For Ronal, Bolichera 21’s message is that Peruvian food is a fusion. “Because in reality it is like that, our food is influenced by many cultures”.

“In Mexico City it is almost impossible to find Peruvian products, we call it fusion because the entire menu is made from Mexican products that perfectly match the dishes on the menu. We cannot prepare all the Peruvian dishes that we would like because our ingredients do not allow it. The ones we use do work very well “.

The restaurant’s flagship dishes are ceviches, tiraditos and Causa Lima, which are prepared with the catch of the day, brought directly from the Mexican Pacific. Like Peru, Mexico is temporary and Ronal recognizes that you have to know how to adapt.

“We represent the vast flavor of a Lima cevichería here in Mexico, but if we talk about fusion we also have to talk about Creole food, so we also have dishes lomo saltado, rice with seafood, arroz chaufa, saltado noodle, stuffed potato, a lot of heart and we will adapt more dishes with Mexican ingredients “.

In Bolichera 21 they also present fusions based on Mexican food such as tostadas, but in the Peruvian style, accompanied with tuna ceviche. Lion’s claw toast with tiger’s milk is also served.

“As we are in Mexico, we must have dishes in our menu that the Mexican will automatically recognize. […] They are also surprised by the particularity of the flavors, the marked acidity of the ceviche, the freshness of the fish “, says the cook.

“As for the Creole dishes, the lomo saltado never loses, and neither does the rice with seafood, they are very easy to interpret. Likewise, the chaufa is also a success. Mexico is also a country that has oriental influences, so it is not difficult to find ingredients for this dish and the lomo saltado “.

To make sudado and chupe, Ronal and his team use chili peppers that are quite similar to ají panca. However, preparing a case is complicated for them, since there are no potato varieties in Mexico. What they do is go groping and waiting for the ideal season to buy them. In addition, they replace the yellow pepper with the manzano pepper, but this must go through a whole process so that it does not sting. Meanwhile, the hot pepper is replaced by the red cuaresmo pepper.

“We serve a traditional chicken cause, it should have a generous filling, avocado, tomato, egg, chicken and celery. We serve it with a manzano chili sauce, which looks like a huancaína. We have another shrimp cause because the Mexican loves shrimp. The cause is noble, it can withstand any filling, as long as it is rich and the potato is very soft “.

And the drinks? “Everyone asks for their Inca Kola Golden. Pisco and passion fruit sours are also widely sold. In addition, we have put chilcanos in our menu. Likewise, for the Mexican public we have drinks based on hibiscus and prickly pear. I would like to be able to bring Cusqueña, which is very difficult to bring here and if you get it it is very expensive. When there is chicha morada, the Peruvian public asks for it quickly when we tell them that we have prepared it. However, the Mexican has his reservations and when the test says that it is good and that it tastes like corn (as they say to corn) “.

Ronal adds that he has just gotten a supplier of purple corn and that he will carry out “La Semana de la chicha morada” with the forty kilos that will soon arrive at the restaurant. And it will do the same with other Peruvian products that arrive.

What dishes are the best sellers? “The ceviches, the causa, the tiraditos, the lomo saltado and the chaufa are the ones that are sold the most. Fried yuquitas are also widely sold. And when good yuccas don’t arrive, we grate them and make boliyucas. As for the drinks, the pisco sour and the Inca Kola are the favorites of the public “, says the chef from Huancavelica.

Two palates, one challenge

Ronal points out that Bolichera 21 has to satisfy two audiences: the Peruvian who misses his food and the local who wants to try something different. Although some classify the dishes as “goodies”, others tell them that the taste should be more similar to Peruvian and are upset because they use alternative ingredients.

“There are always questions and it is logical and understandable. There are two points of view, that of the purist Peruvian, who defends food, and it is nice to hear this. And also that of Mexican citizens who have traveled to Peru and want to try the flavors again. The questions are divided; however, in the end they understand that we are outside of our country and they are managing to understand this concept. My job as a chef is to make the flavors the most similar. We listen to everyone and respect their opinions ”.

Ronal explains that what they always try to do is try to make their guests understand that they are outside of Peru and although the ideal would be to have all the ingredients, what they want is to represent Peruvian food, which cannot disappear because there are no inputs.

“It is nice to see how such simple dishes are understood by the public and made their favorites. It is nice to see that both the Peruvian and the local public are willing to be transported to Peru. We make a connection with tourism because we let Mexicans have the bug of going to Peru to try the dishes. We try to give a pleasant experience ”, finalize Ronal.