Mo-Chica Evokes Memories of Peru

Baxter and I went to Peru in May 2012 for a week.  Although we had a great trip, we didn't get to eat all the food on our list in such a short amount of time.  Last night our dining experience at Mo-Chica finally satiated our hunger for Peruvian food. The cuisine at Mo-Chica, located in downtown Los Angeles, is the renowned Chef Ricardo Zarate's modern take on traditional Peruvian food. We were very excited to see so many traditional dishes on the menu that we had missed in Peru due to time constraints and the finite stretching ability of our stomachs.  Sometimes I feel that we should have two stomachs instead of two lungs or kidneys.  We had an amazing time at Mo-chica eating, drinking, and remisniscing about our trip while feeling completley satisfied with all the variations of dishes we had eaten before and the ones we wanted to try.

We stayed true to the Peruvian experience where you mostly drink Chilean wines as Peru does not produce it's own wine.  We enjoyed this bottle of 2010 Chilean Pinot Noir with our dinner. It went very well with all the dishes we ordered.  

 Pan con tuna. Grilled bread, spicy tuna, and ricoto sauce.

One of the specials for the night: Artichoke with Huacatay.  I love the flavor of huacatay, a Peruvian herb.

Paiche. Amazonian fish from Peru, ajiciaco de arroz.  This fish is imported from Peru and Mo-chica is the first restaurant in Los Angeles to serve it.  It is simply delicious with  a bite of the rice.

Sangrecita. Morcilla crostini, fried egg, jalapeño salsa.  The middle piece with the egg is worth every calorie in the world.

Estofado de Alpaca.  Alpaca stew estofado, tagliatelle, aji amarillo sauce, fried organic fertile egg.  First experience eating Alpaca.  I bought an Alpaca throw that I love and treat like my baby, but eating it was just as delicious as touching my soft throw.

Oxacalifornia love. mescal, tequila, fresh lime juice, pineapple rococo gomme.  Refreshing mid-meal drink.

Choclo. Peruvian white corn.  This was not on the menu, but we asked for it because we really wanted to eat it in Peru, but May was not the season for it.  The most delicious corn I've ever eaten.

Sol y Sombra.  Purple corn, granny smith apples, apricots, raisins, and kiwicha creme brûlée.  

Ok. We are only temporarily satiated.  There are many more items on the menu such as cau cau, causa, Alpaca hamburger, cocktails that I want to try.  So we'll definitely be going back for more.

Eating at Mo-chica made us reflect back to our food experience in Peru and below are some of the things we really enjoyed on our short trip there.  

The first restaurant we went to shortly after landing in Lima, Peru was Astrid & Gaston in Miraflores, ranked number 35 on the The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2012.  We didn't make reservations, so we ate at the bar and had a fantastic experience.  We had our first Pisco here, a very popular Peruvian drink, made of grape brandy, lime juice, and sugar.  

Astrid & Gaston. Top, 2012 Piquero Snacks: Rocoto stuffed with suckling pig, baby goat tamale, Papa Rellena, octopus articucho. Bottom: A three Cebiche dish.  All delicious. 

Astrid & Gaston. Saltado de verano. Freshwater fish, mushroom, conchas scallops, baby squids, shrimps, seco de chifa (Peruvian-Chinese fried rice flavored with coriander), tacu tacu (cripsy and creamy rice) of native pumpkins.

Astrid & Gaston. Platanos enjualados dulcemente (sweetly trapped bananas).  Bananas in a caramel cage, served with coconut tapioca, goat cheese ice cream, sweet bean paste, cacao sauce with spices.  We loved it.
Our meal at Astrid & Gaston definitely went down as one of our top 10 dining experiences even though we only had a few dishes.  The most challenging thing during our trips is to limit ourselves to a few dishes as we hate wasting food or overstuffing ourselves.

After Astrid & Gaston we headed to a really cool bar/lounge called Huaringas in Miraflores.  We loved the ambience here and the extensive Pisco cocktail menu.  I had this delicious Pisco Sour.  

We ended our first night with a walk to Parque el Amor.  The night view of Lima coastline was simply spectacular and the park itself was very romantic. 

On day 2 in Lima, we started our day with a cappuccino and Peruvian pastries at a cute little cafe in Miraflores called Arabica.  After these delightful treats, we headed out to Central Lima and strolled around Plaza de Armas and went inside the beautiful Iglesia de Santo Domingo. 

We had lunch at Domus, a simple 19th-century mansion style restaurant that has a daily fixed menu of Peruvian-Italian specialties.  It costs about $7 for a three course meal and a freshly squeezed juice.  There is always a vegetarian option on the menu.  

 Domus. Huevo en salso de pereil.

 Domus. Ensalada tropical.

 Domus. Abondigas de carne con pepian.

 Domus. Filete de pollo, con papas fritas.

After a relaxed lunch experience, we took a cab to Museo Larco in San Isidro.  The museum is set in a beautiful 18th-century viceroy mansion that houses some of the best ceramics in Lima.  Interestingly, this is where I learned of the Moche civilization that is also referred to as Mochica. They are a society or civilization that supposedly existed in norther Peru between 100 to 800 A.D. One of the highlights of the museum is the beautiful Moche vessels.  The museum also has a restaurant  with a private garden with bright bougainvillea boughs.

Museo Larco. If you are short on time.  This museum should be a priority.

Restaurant at Museo Larco.

In the evening we headed to the hip Barranco neighborhood for drinks and dinner.  We stopped by at the Moorish style architecture bar, Ayahuasca, for some Pisco cocktails and appetizers.  The manager was very friendly and showed us around this massive bar/lounge with multiple colorful rooms.  

  

We went to a small local restaurant, Mi Camita, for dinner that was recommended to us by the manager at Ayahuasca.  Papa a la huancaina. Boiled potatoes with huancaina sauce garnished with olives and boiled egg. 

 Mi Camita.

After dinner we walked over to a look-out called La Posada del Mirador in Barranco that had the most amazing night view of Lima.  There is a pub there that is a popular spot for drinks at sunset.  

Trip to Lima is incomplete without churros.  So the next morning we went to Manolo for breakfast and had some of the best churros. This is considered the best churros place in Lima and has been in business since 1968.  

After churros, it was Cuzco time!  We took our altitude sickness pill that we bought in Lima one hour before our flight and every eight hours for our 5 days stay in Cuzco and did not feel any signs of altitude sickness through out our trip.  We laid pretty low in Cuzco for the first couple of days to acclimate.  We tried some of the local specialty dishes.  We went to The Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu from there.  

Caldo de gallina. Typical Cuzco chicken soup considered a good cure for hangovers.

Lomo Saltado.  I love this dish and had to have it at a local Peruvian restaurant in Cuzco.  Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between this and the one I've had at Mario's in Hollywood.

El Valle Sagrado (The Sacred Valley). Located about 15 kilometers from Cuzco is worth a trip.  The citadels at Ollantaytambo and Pisac are amazing.

This is the real empanada oven.  We stumbled upon this outdoor cafe in Pisac during our Sacred Valley tour that serves the most delicious empanadas and chica morada.

My Baby Alpaca that I bought at Pisac market.  One of my favorite purchases ever.  Be sure to bargain at this market.

Comida tipica.  My plate of food from a buffet at Sonesta Posadas del Inca hotel during our Sacred Valley tour.

Coca tea.  Best remedy for altitude sickness.

Pisco cocktails are like wine during a Peruvian meal.  We had one almost everywhere we ate.

Yes, we did try Cuy (guinea pig).  We were in Cuzco and we had to try this popular specialty.  We were not crazy about it.  It tasted like chicken and it was bony.

Machu Picchu.  No matter what you've heard or seen in photos, the experience of standing on this site is incomparable.  It fills you with this mystical energy.  I thoroughly enjoyed our two and half hour private tour.

Food is a way for me to connect to a country, it's people, and culture.  My dining experience at Mo-Chica last night evoked all these beautiful memories of our Peruvian vacation and made me feel like I was in Peru reliving moments from our amazing trip.

A Magical Experience

My book club recently read The Night Circus.  One word that sums up this book is magical.  It takes you on a magical journey both visually and emotionally with illusionists, contortionists, elaborate midnight dinners, fortune tellers, etc.  When I read a good book, I am basked in the experience of that book long after I have finished it.  I was planning a trip next month to Magic Castle with the book club to experience magic first hand but that experience came sooner in another form. 

Last weekend I was invited to dinner at The Bazaar by Jose Andres.  I don't know whether my state of mind had anything to do with it but my entire dinner experience was magical.  I felt like a kid at a circus.  Every dish that came out was exciting, fun, innovative, and simply mind blowing.  As I ate one dish, I couldn't wait for the next magic to unfold.  I did not want the dinner to end.  

Jose Andres is a Spanish American chef whose style of cooking is referred to as molecular gastronomy. It is a cutting edge style that employs science and technology in deconstructing food or ingredients in a dish and then recombining them in creative and interesting ways.  

I was introduced to molecular gastronomy two years ago.  I was planning a trip to Barcelona and a friend of mine gave me all his research on restaurants and bars for the city.  One of the places that piqued my interest was Inopia (no longer open) run by Albert Adria (Ferran Adria's brother).  I started reading about Ferran Adria, and learned about molecular gastronomy and that he is one of the leading figures behind this food movement.  I was very fascinated with the concept.  I had also read on the blog about Inopia that Ferran Adria was sometimes the pastry chef there.  I went to Inopia and had amazing tapas.  When the time came for dessert, the waitress asked what we wanted.  Feeling a little tipsy, I said, "What would Ferran Adria recommend?" The waitress smiled and said, "Why don't you ask him as he is sitting right next to you?" My jaw dropped as I sobered up instantly and turned to hug Ferran Adria who embraced me with open arms and a huge smile and talked to me as though I were his old friend.   He ordered us a flan and I was so star struck that I don't even remember how it tasted.  To this day it is my favorite celebrity sighting.

The following Sunday after I returned from Barcelona, I was sitting on my couch watching 60 Minutes when I saw this profile on Jose Andres:  Culinary Miracles of Jose Andres. I was blown away when I learned that Jose Andres had trained under Ferran Adria who I had just hugged and chatted with a week ago.  This 60 minutes piece serves as an excellent 13 minute introduction to Jose Andres and molecular gastronomy.  The vibrant and colorful pictures below illustrate how I experienced his  magical cooking...

With Ferran Adria at Inopia in Barcelona in 2010.  

LN2 Caipirinha: Brazilian cachaca, fresh lime and sugar frozen by liquid nitrogen.  The cart goes around the restaurant and serves table side. 

Caipirinha. The best slushy I've ever had.  

Olives.  The menu is divided into traditional and modern tapas.  These were from the traditional menu.  

Olives from the modern tapas.  It tasted like olives but in an egg yolk consistency and texture.  All the flavors came together once it popped in my mouth.  

Jamon Serrano Fermin (traditional tapas). Dry cured ham.  This was served with the tomato bread below.  I have never eaten ham this good.  A piece of this on the bread with a sip of 2006 Berronia Tempranillo was like magic in your mouth.  

Tomato bread that comes with Jamon Serrano.  

Your Life will Change Dashi Linguini (modern tapas): parmesan, quail egg, and basil.  The egg mixes with the noodles.  A bite of tomato, basil, noodle with parmesan could make you never want to eat pasta any other way.  

Not your Everyday Caprese (modern tapas): cherry tomatoes, liquid mozarella.  Simple but refreshing and delicious.  The pesto was out of this world.  

Lemon Artichokes (modern tapas): black olive tapenade and dandelion.  I could eat vegetables made this way on an everyday basis.  It makes vegetables fun and interesting.  

"The Ultimate Spanish Tapa (traditional tapas)!" Ensaladilla Rusa potatoes, carrots, mayo, tuna belly.  Mix it all up and let the layers of flavors unfold in your mouth. 

Seared Scallops (traditional tapas): Romesco sauce.  Cooked perfectly and the flavoring is just right.  

Smoked Yellowtail and Crispy Rice (modern tapas): yogurt, grapes, capers, and radish.  Visually stunning and immensely gratifying on the palate.

Eggplant Tempura (modern tapas): local honey and yoghurt.  This tasted more like dessert; and even though I wasn't ready for dessert yet, I really enjoyed this dish.  

Cotton Candy Duck Liver (modern tapas):  This is the epitome of culinary magic.  The flavor and texture come together in your mouth in a way you couldn't have imagined.  Any one who likes foie gras should go have this before the ban in July. 

"Philly Cheesesteak" (modern tapas): air bread, cheddar, Wagyu beef.  I love this dish.  It is fluffy, light, and just delicious.  

After dinner, we were walked over to the dessert area by our waiter.  We enjoyed four interesting and delicious desserts with Nivole Muscato d'Asti, M. Chiarlo.  The sweetness of the wine paired perfectly with the desserts.  

Nitro Coconut Floating Island: passion fruit and vanilla.  

Pan con Chocolate.  

Hot Chocolate Mousse: pear sorbet and salty hazelnut praline.  

Apples "Carlota": bread pudding with saffron sauce.  

The ambience, color contrasts in the dishes, visually stunning presentations, the company at the table all combined to create a magical evening!  I felt that Jose Andres fulfilled my yearning for magic evoked by the book, The Night Circus. Well, at least for now.