LA MAR BELLEVUE AN EXQUISITE PERUVIAN CULINARY EXPERIENCE

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Content Producer: Yerelyn Cortez Hidalgo

November 18, 2024

On Thursday, November 7, 2024, we had the pleasure to attend one of the newest upscale restaurants in Bellevue, Washington. LA MAR COCINA PERUANA is the newest Peruvian Restaurant in Bellevue owned by world-renowned Peruvian Chef Gaston Acurio. 

La Mar Restaurant is currently in an array of cities worldwide including Lima, Peru / Santiago, Chile / Bogota, Colombia / Buenos Aires, Argentina / Miami, Florida / San Francisco, California / Doha and Dubai, Middle East / and Madrid, Spain. 

La Mar Bellevue's decor is very clean with a sophisticated look and feel. The restaurant has beautiful turquoise hues to represent the ocean aka LA MAR. The hospitality service was impeccable as you were warmly greeted as soon as you walked through the main entrance. We received a very friendly and welcoming staff showing us the different areas of the restaurant and taking us to our table. I particularly loved the open kitchen concept, bar area, cebiche section, and different sections of the restaurant.

Chef Kaoru Chang made our evening extra special by providing us with an exquisite selection of food personally selected by him for us to try. We started with PERUVIAN CHIPS made of crispy local potatoes with a delicious green aioli sauce. 

Throughout the evening we enjoyed a few cocktails including a traditional PISCO SOUR, which is the national cocktail of Peru made of caravedo pisco quebranta, lime juice, egg white, and angostura bitters. MARACUYA SOUR made of caravedo pisco quebranta, passionfruit, lime juice, egg white, and angostura bitters. CHICHA SOUR, made of caravedo pisco quebranta, chicha morada, lime juice, egg white, and angostura bitters. Last but not least we tried the spirit-free cocktail CHICHA MORADA, made of Peruvian purple corn, pineapple, spices, and lime. A very refreshing, sweet, and juicy drink. All of the cocktails were amazing drinks to pair with the dishes provided.

Our meal began with a CEBICHE TASTING, which included a selection of their most popular cebiches, such as CEBICHE Clásico, CEBICHE Limeño, and CEBICHE Nikkei. A Peruvian Cebiche Clásico is one of my favorite dishes to always start with when I go to a Peruvian Restaurant. It was great to try the three (3) different cebiches, and  I would strongly recommend starting with the Cebiche Tasting. The manager was gracious enough to explain each cebiche dish as it was served. 

We continued and proceeded with TIRADITO CRIOLLO, which consisted of hamachi fish, aji amarillo sauce, chalaca, choclo (Peruvian yellow corn), and sweet potato chips. The Tiradito Criollo was not only beautiful visually but certainly very tasty. It was a great addition to start with after having the cebiche tasting.  Chef Kaoru Chang then brought us the trio Nigiris Nikkei consisting of SALTADO with wagyu skirt steak, quail egg, chalaca, and lomo saltado sauce; CRIOLLO made of ahi tuna, aji amarillo sauce, chalaca, and ANTICUCHERO made of hamachi, anticuchera sauce, and jalapeño-cilantro sauce. These were delicious Peruvian-Japanese-inspired nigiri.

Next on the menu were small plates: ANTICUCHO CRIOLLO made of veal heart, potatoes, choclo, and Peruvian sauces. This is a very popular dish to have and is easily found on the streets of Peru. Another amazing small dish we tried was the CONCHAS OKA made with a main scallop, 24-month-aged Parmigiano Regianno foam, lime, and parsley garlic crumbs. Not only was the presentation beautiful but this truly was an exquisite and flavorful bite. 

Main courses: LOMO SALTADO consisting of wok stir-fried beef tenderloin, tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, jalapeño, oyster sauce, soy sauce, potatoes, and white rice. Lomo Saltado is a staple main Peruvian dish that will never disappoint, and If there is Lomo Saltado on the menu, I always opt to get it. The second main course we had was  ARROZ CON MARISCOS: local fish, shrimp, clam, calamari, wok-fried rice, aji panca, aji amarillo, mixed vegetables, and leche de tigre. This was not a traditional Peruvian dish but can I tell you that it truly was exquisite and would definitely order again. 

Last but not least for dessert we had TRES LECHES DE COCO made of brown-butter sponge cake, Italian meringue, manjar blanco ice cream, and candied coconut. We also savored PICARONES, which are made of traditional Peruvian fritters made to order with kabocha squash and sweet potato puree served with chancaca syrup. Both desserts were exquisite.                                  

Peru is a very vibrant country with an array of cities to explore such as one of the seven wonders of the world, Machu Pichu in Cusco, Nasca Lines, an archeological site in Peru, Arequipa known for its colonial-era architecture, Vinicunca or Rainbow Mountain located in the Cusco Region, and of course Lima, the main city of Peru to name a few. 

What makes Peru special is the cuisine and to me, it truly is the best in the world. 

Why?  There are so many different types of options including Peruvian criollo dishes such as AJI DE GALLINA, CAUSA, CARAPULCRA, CHAUFA, CHUPE DE CAMARONES, PAPA LA HUANCAINA, POLLO A LA BRASA, SECO DE RES, and TALLARIN VERDES to name a few. In addition, Peruvian seafood is also amazing which includes an array of CEBICHES which has conquered the world. 

The Seattle area has a few Peruvian Restaurants but there are no restaurants to the upscale level in decor and culinary cuisine as LA MAR. LA MAR celebrates the authentic and diverse flavors of Peruvian gastronomy, celebrating cultural diversity including Andean, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish influences. This restaurant gets a 5-star for decor and excellent traditional and fusion Peruvian cuisine.  

This truly was an amazing culinary Peruvian experience and I cannot wait to go back to try their other amazing dishes on the menu. 🇵🇪      

Provecho!