Astrid & Gaston

Posted by Edmund in Fine Dining, Peru, Restaurants | 0 comments

175 Calle Cantuarias, Miraflores
Lima, Peru

In Peru, there are very few restaurants that are universally acclaimed. One of the few is Astrid & Gaston, named after the world-renowned celebrity chef couple that owns it and probably the most exclusive/famous restaurant in Peru. Now, whatever Gaston touches, at least in Peru, is gold. He owns not only the most reputed fine dining experience, but also several other restaurants at all price ranges throughout Peru, including Cebichería La Mar, where I had what was hands down not only the best ceviche of my trip, but probably the best dining experience in all my travels last year. And it was after that high I experienced from lunch at Cebichería La Mar, I was convinced that Gaston was a culinary mastermind, and I decided that I just had to try Gaston’s ultimate creation, Astrid & Gaston, the very same night. Unexpectedly, though, whereas Cebichería La Mar, a traditional Peruvian ceviche joint, was near perfect in every way, Astrid & Gaston was the exact opposite—a failure in almost all regards.

As you enter Astrid & Gaston, the ambience does impress, in contrast to so many other places in Peru. It has a controlled, simple modernity to it, with minimal decorations, but bright coats of paint, a nice bar, and in general just a nice seating arrangement.  The only reason it stands out, though, is because you don’t get to see so many nice-looking restaurants like it in Peru. Otherwise, it’s nothing extraordinary. And the service, at least initially, seems fine—prompt and very formal/professional, unlike in most Latin American restaurants.

So where does this legendary restaurant fail? First, and most importantly, the food. The food was decent but boring. In fact, only the cocktails stood out as something extraordinary—and oh were they extraordinary! Never before have I seen so many pisco cocktails, and all of such high quality, too. Unfortunately, where it counted, the restaurant failed. It’s food is meant to offer a modern take on Peruvian cuisine, but instead what I saw was a lot of innovation for the sake of innovation—i.e. going for presentation and uniqueness instead of for taste. For example, they might use duck instead of chicken in a traditional recipe or add a few cloyingly sweet components to an already sweet dessert. Not all of it is bad, but there is quite a bit of stumbling, especially in terms of flavor combinations, especially for such a supposedly fine restaurant.

And perhaps worst of all was a service issue I had with my waiter. The wine menu is supposedly phenomenal, especially for Peru, but I didn’t even get to see it because my waiter didn’t give me the wine menu when I asked for it. Instead, he said he would get a recommendation from the sommelier, and instead of running it by me or even letting me see the wine as he poured it, he brought out his recommendation—some garbage wine, no less—pre-poured in a glass for me, without even letting me try the wine to see if it was fresh or giving me any information on the wine. It was not only a horrible wine, but the waiter came off as downright patronizing, overstepping his bounds completely.  For a restaurant this formal and this expensive (even by American standards), it’s downright sinful to be so careless to the customer. Needless to say, I didn’t finish the wine, and I stuck to cocktails from then on.

Overall, then, for the uninspired food, the lack of professionalism, and the outrageous prices, I would have to recommend avoiding Astrid & Gaston, contrary to what you may read in all the travel guides.  Astrid & Gaston is way too overhyped. Nothing lived up to the reputation of the restaurant, and the wine thing was a complete joke. I really wanted to like this restaurant, especially after my experience with Cebichería la Mar, but it was probably the worst dining experience I had in Peru, sadly.

What I had:

1. Bread: great variety—breadsticks, raisin bread, corn bread, chili bread, potato bread, and nut bread. All with chimichurri, butter, and chili. Very hit or miss, though. Chimichurri was fantastic—cheese, oil, tomatoes, and basil mix for a really nice flavor. The potato bread was the only one that struck me as fantastic—rich, oily, starchy. Nut bread was nice and sweet. None of the sauces worked well, and most of the bread was a miss. Disappointing.
2. Appetizer: Anticucho (pieces of meat on a golden potato) of 4 varieties: cow, chicken, heart, and chicken liver. Served with 3 sauces: tomatoes in lime/lemon, chili, and bean. Sauces in general were a little weak, especially the chili. The tomato lime/lemon sauce was okay but simple and underwhelming. The beans were good but just didn’t go with the flavor of the anticuchos. The meat, on the other hand, was cooked well all around. The chicken was outstanding. The golden potatoes worked well, too, with the flavor of the meat, adding a nice starchiness, but they’re kind of bland/mushy in texture. Heart was a little too rough for me, but not bad. The liver just seemed a poor choice—too strong, greasy, and flavorless. Overall, disappointing. 1.0/5.0
3. Rice cooked in cherries with duck: Actually, a great dish. Reminded me of a nice risotto. Rich, creamy, flavorful rice. The duck was also very well-cooked, with the skin falling off. The meat was a little tough and gamy, but I’m not a big fan of duck, to be honest. Still, it was good. The problem was in the mix, which felt contrived. The rice was great on its own and just needed a protein component, but it seemed like duck was chosen merely for the sake of creating a “gourmet” version of a traditional dish (it’s normally with chicken). Still, intense, flavorful, and unique. Crackling on the duck is fantastic. 3.5/5.0
4. Chocolate soufflé of exotic fruits with a chocolate crocante: Good for a fruit desert, and a solid soufflé. It’s really quite well-made. And the presentation is great. The flaw, however, is that there’s not enough flavor, and the flavors there are clash. The dark chocolate doesn’t mix too well with the raspberries—typically they do, but here the raspberries just gave a sourness to the dish. Moreover, for a chocolate dish, this has far too little sweetness to it, even for dark chocolate, and the slightly sour raspberry fruitiness only makes it worse. 2.0
5. Arroz con leche especial (special-style arroz con leche), served with compote, some meringue, and fruit: Interesting taste. Definitely better than the soufflé. Great mix of flavors, actually—unlike the other dishes, things don’t seem tacked on. I can’t say it’s amazing, though. The arroz con leche is too sweet and rich for me. It has the texture and taste of a chunky custard, but far more intense. The fruit and cream don’t really help to balance it. If anything, the meringue makes it even sweeter. 2.5
6. Uruwaska Cocktail: Pisco, assion fruit juice, lime, and lychee liquor. This is just plain delicious. I could taste the pisco, giving it a strength that’s great. At the same time, it’s fruity and sweet enough that someone with a sweet tooth, like me, can really enjoy it. Lychee flavor comes out very well. Bitterness of pisco canbe offsetting, but overall a very nice combo, with great synergy and flavor. 4.0
7. Limeña Mazamorrera: Pisco Moscatel, purple corn, sauco cream (sauco is an indigenous fruit), morello cherries macerated in pisco. This cocktail is phenomenal! Thick and sweet, with chocolaty overtones from the dark chocolate-like bitterness. Perfect combo. No complaints, and hands down, the best part of the meal. 4.5+

Ambience: 3.5/5.0
Service: 1.0/5.0
Taste: 2.6/5.0. The cocktails were a special treat.
Value: 0.0/5.0. Costs an arm and a leg for mediocre food.
Overall Score: 1.5+/5.0. This restaurant costs way too much for what you’re getting. It may be one of the nicest-looking in Peru, but it sure isn’t the best-tasting.