What is it like to eat in the first ‘plant based’ haute cuisine restaurant in Lima?

Lima is the gastronomic capital, it has some of the best restaurants in Latin America and the world. But haute cuisine did not have a reference based on plants in the Peruvian capital until today. Plant Food + Wine Lima opened its doors to convince even the most skeptical that plant-based cuisine is creative, delicious and that animal products are not needed for a complete gastronomic experience.

When you visit a restaurant there are flavors, textures and smells that remain in your memory. The new Plant Food + Wine Lima restaurant, by Matthew Kenney and Andre Patsias, wants you to live an unforgettable experience. Not only for the food, because the atmosphere, architecture and lighting are conducive to generating a unique visit.

According to Patsias, he and the chef specializing in plant-based cuisine Matthew Kenney met in the United States when the Peruvian went to visit Plant Food + Wine in California. For them, the decision to start this project was quick and necessary.

“There is no input of animal origin in PFW. Everything is a product of vegetables and we look for replacements for inputs of animal origin”, confirms Andre Patsias about the menu, who with a lot of technique and creativity has achieved dishes that are visibly attractive as well as pleasing to the taste.

“We have variants of the iconic dishes of Peruvian and Japanese cuisine, and dishes from different regions of Peru that are very easy to recognize,” he adds.

Although, in other Kenney restaurants, Peruvian ingredients are already used. The American indicates that it is thanks to Patsias that they are learning much more about the native vegetables of our country. “Andre (Patsias) is teaching us. He knows very well the ingredients of Peru and how to integrate them into the dishes. We are learning a lot from him, from his knowledge and his passion for Peruvian ingredients.”, reveals.

It is thanks to the talent and technique of Andre Patsias that we rediscover vegetables native to Peru that we have tried or heard of before. For example, in his restaurant we find the goose as the protagonist of a dish or an acid mashua as the perfect complement to a table of plant-based cheeses. Patsias’ kitchen ratifies once again that you can have a party in which the hosts are vegetables.

“There is a lot of expectation about this new restaurant”, indicates Patsias, who also reveals that he is not vegan, but that since he started this project his diet is more and more plant-based; and he has no doubt that in the future he will be 100%. “We want to show that high-quality cuisine made only from plants is possible.”, says the Peruvian chef.

The visit

The space that receives us has been meticulously cared for. This restaurant with high ceilings, vegetation and neutral colors isolates us from the noise of Lima and the speed of life in the city.

In the background, we can see a large tree that decorates this minimalist place. The kitchen is open and is behind a large marble and wood bar, where we can see how the magic happens and how each cook is a key piece so that all the dishes look perfect.

The letter

Plant Food + Wine Lima’s menu is varied and has three appetizers. You can start with a cheese board made only with vegetables and whose flavor has nothing to envy to the traditional ones, or you can start with breads made with native ingredients, hummus and cherimoya butter. And why not? You can start with both.

The menu is divided between hot and cold dishes. There are no tickets or funds, because everything is so good thinking that one can eat in the order and how much you like. One of the advantages of plant food is that it satisfies but does not leave you feeling extremely full.

Among the cold dishes, we find the wonderful 100 Goose Leaves. Yes, 100 slices of oca, that sweet and wonderful tuber that grows at more than 3,000 meters above sea level in our mountains. These sheets are accompanied with air of muña and a cream of rocoto al batán, that powerful stone that our grandmothers used to grind and make sauces.

Among the hot dishes, we find the anticuchero mushrooms, where the mushrooms are the protagonists and are accompanied with a creamy huancaína sauce and its point, and some black yuccas painted with purple corn. This dish is also the favorite of chef Patsias.

Other hot dishes that one can order are: Cauliflower polenta, Rigatoni with walnuts and Fried Sticky Rice, the latter has a Peruvian touch by having a cocona granita.

In addition to food, the restaurant offers a large selection of organic wines, cocktails made only with plant-based ingredients and with local infusions, as well as local beers.

For the end, always dessert. At Plant Food + Wine Lima we find light but delicious options. Like the Banana cream with cajus and achiote seeds. A mix of sweetness with a great texture provided by the nuts and seeds.

Another option is the 70% cocoa ice cream that is accompanied with grated hazelnuts, salted cocoa flakes, wood foam, wet cocoa sponge cake and olive oil at the table.

For someone like me who has not eaten animals for seven years, knowing that there is a place that offers a gastronomic experience as complete as this is simply wonderful.

More information

• Type of restaurant: contemporary plant based cuisine.
• Gluten free options: yes.
• Address: Av. Mariscal La Mar 463, Miraflores
• Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 12 to 3:30 pm and from 6 to 10 pm; Sunday from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
• Parking: valet parking.
• Drinks menu: excellent wines and a good bet on plant-based cocktails
• Average prices per person: menu (without drinks) S/150