For lunch, which had to be my first Peruvian ceviche, I chose the restaurant overlooking the ruins of Huaca Pucllana, planning to visit the site after. Unfortunately, the ruins were closed! Spoiler, I did make it back to them. 😉

Lunch view!

I started off with this crisp and refreshing local beer, very citrusy, a perfect pairing to a dish like ceviche.

I ordered the “classic” ceviche. The server asked how spicy I wanted it, and I said whatever is considered average since I eat ceviche with habanero in Mexico.

What a pretty plate! The white corn on the left that looks like hominy is called choclo, and the crunchy kernels on the right are called cancha. At the bottom of the plate are camote, sweet potato, which I thought sounded like an odd pairing with ceviche, but were actually the perfect complement. There are no words for how good this was — definitely more acidic and salty than the Mexican version, very spicy, and with an excellent mix of textures, from the very soft white fish to the crunchy corn. The ají chile was fruity and made my nose run but was definitely not as hot as a habanero.

The desserts all had eggs except for this delicious mango and passionfruit sorbet that I paired with an espresso:

I walked back to the hotel after for a nap, then went off in search of more craft beers. I’ve really missed pubs/bars with a good variety of beers on tap that you can sample before making a choice, just how I learned to drink beer almost 30 years ago in Scotland. I chose BarBarian.

I asked about dark beers, and my options were a black IPA or a porter. A porter was just a bit too heavy for my mood, so I opted for the Zula Black, requesting only 200mL so I could have another one after.

My second choice was the Enana Roja (red dwarf).

I love amber ales, but I do believe this was my first time having their cousin, the red ale.

My final stop of the day was dinner at Kauza.

I started with a mocktail made with hierba luisa, or lemon beebrush, and pineapple:

My main was a classic Chinese-Peruvian dish, a local favourite, lomo saltado. This is beef sautéd in a wok with soy sauce and possibly some type of vinegar, as well as red pepper and onion, and served with fries and white rice. I actually make a beef very similar to this and did not know the origin of the recipe. From speaking to locals, I got the impression that this meal is to Peruvians what a hamburger might be to me. I enjoyed the meal but had to concede that I am really not a fan of potatoes! If I can’t enjoy potatoes in Peru, then I think I’m a lost cause!

Meals are often served with cancha.

I wandered around a bit after, found some ice cream, then returned to the hotel where, not surprisingly, I passed out around 10PM!