Limo Cocina Peruana

Posted by Edmund in Peru, Peruvian, Restaurants | 0 comments

Limo Cocina Peruana
Modern Peruvian
Price N/A. I’d estimate about $25-$35 for three courses.

Portal de Carnes 236, Second Floor
Cusco, Peru

As you should know by now, I’m a lover of dessert, which is my favorite part of the meal, so when I travel to a new country, the first part of the native cuisine that I really want to familiarize myself with is the dessert. So when I went to Cusco, I decided to try some of the old-school, traditional desserts of Peru. That led me on a search for a restaurant where I could find the infamous Masamorra Morada, a gelatin-like concoction made of purple corn, which just about every Peruvian kept on telling me about as some amazing treat (you know how people hype up things). But I couldn’t find it anywhere until I stumbled upon a local Peruvian restaurateur while exploring Cusco, the same guy who owned Incanto (and whom I mentioned in the review of that restaurant). While I was reserved at the start, the restaurateur took the time to really explain the nuances of Peruvian cuisine and then recommended that I check out one of his local restaurants, Limo Cocina Peruano, if I wanted a Masamorra Morada. He even threw in a Pisco Sour on the house, so I felt like I just had to give it a shot.

Limo Cocina Peruano, a semi high-end modern Peruvian restaurant, specializing in innovating in the traditional Peruvian dishes. When I got there, I was quite impressed by the scene. Again, I saw the simple modern design that is so typical of the better restaurants in Peru. Bright reddish-oranges were on the walls, the bar was prominently displayed in the front and very nice, the lighting was good, the seating very comfortable and spacious, and just in general good music. It really felt like a classy. And it just seemed like a hot hangout for people after work—I even ran into my waiter from Map Café the night before and had a nice conversation with him. I sat at the bar, so I can’t say much for service, but the bartenders were pretty friendly, too, striking up casual conversation.

Most important, though, is the food, and I can’t say it impressed me in any way. Like I said, I went for the Masamorra Morada, but I ended up actually sampling quite a few desserts and a ceviche to boot. Obviously, the ceviche was the best thing I tried, but even that didn’t really stand out compared to some of the others I’d had in the nation. Moreover, I was really quite disappointed by the dessert, not so much for the quality present in the restaurant, which prepared everything just fine, but rather because I really don’t understand the Peruvian taste for dessert. The traditional desserts just tend to be overly sweet, oddly textured, or big on clashing flavors—but that’s just my take. I do think the fundamental issue is that American tastes just diverge so greatly from Peruvian ones.

Anyway, I can’t say the restaurant is bad in itself, since the quality seems to be just fine when it comes to regular cuisine like ceviche, but I can say that it might just be better avoiding dessert in Peru at restaurants, especially this one— no point in paying an arm and a leg for something you’re not going to enjoy. Overall, while the restaurant has potential, I just didn’t get to see it.

What I had:

1. Ceviche Tropical (Tuna, shrimp, red onion, bell pepper, garlic, lime, mango, papaya, pineapple, coconut milk, all marinated in lime and pisco): Interesting. Very fruity and sweet, which is very unusual for a ceviche, which typically emphasize citrus tastes. But the sauce is creamy and rich and mixes well with the slightly salty fish to give it some unique flavor. 3.5/5.0
2. Masamorra Morada (Traditional Peruvian dish. Somewhat like a pudding made of purple corn):  It doesn’t taste bad per se, but rather just odd. Only slightly sweet. More like a taste of corn. Like drinking chichi morada, but in an unsatisfying gelatinous form. Can be a bit on the tasteless side. Definitely not the best Peru has to offer. 1.0/5.0
3. Alfajor with toffee (cookie sandwich stuffed with toffee and covered in chocolate): For an alfajor, very good. Much less sweet than the Argentine variety, and I actually prefer. Has a perfectly dry, sugar-coated, gigantic wafer. The toffee is stick, sweet, but not cloying, and, most importantly, the right amount is stuffed into the sandwich (not overstuffed). 3.0/5.0
4. Suspiro a lúcuma (Basically, a lúcuma mousse with meringue): This is an untraditional take on a traditional dessert, substituting the indigenous lúcuma fruit for lime. Use of lúcuma instead of lime makes it too sweet but also gives it a lot more flavor and consistency—in fact, it reminds me of a caramel custard, due to the natural creamy sweetness of the fruit. However, the flavor is more interesting than good. The meringue is very sweet. The lúcuma has a gritty consistency to it, like a cantelope with the seeds, which translates into a rough mousse. The ingredients just clash, and neither really balances the other. It’s cloyingly sweet and rough in the mouth. 0.5/5.0
5. Cocktail of Pisco with strawberry and banana liqueur: Too bitter. Doesn’t really have a refreshing fruitiness to it, because it is overshadowed by the pisco, which is far too strong.

Ambience: 3.9/5.0
Service: N/A
Taste: 2.0/5.0
Value: 2.0/5.0. The desserts are a rip-off, but the prices are pretty standard for a higher-end Peruvian place.
Overall Score: 2.3/5.0. This was supposedly the place to try Peruvian desserts, but I can’t say it impressed in any way.