I was recently invited to attend a long-table dinner by “Perth Meets Peru“, a group dedicated to bringing the cuisine and culture of Peru to the people of Perth.
Not being familiar with Peruvian food, this was going to be a new experience for me, and one I was very much looking forward to.
In control of proceedings was the lovely Esperanza Roberts, who heads the “Perth Meets Peru” group and has worked for six years as an ambassador for Peruvian cuisine in Western Australia.
She was a fantastic host, working tirelessly throughout the evening to make sure all of the guests were well looked after.
Tickets were $125 a head for four courses, each carefully matched with a South American wine. The dinner was held at Taste Budds Cooking Studio in Highgate.
It was a full house, with forty diners present covering a wide range of ages and nationalities.
Chef for the evening was charismatic Le Cordon Bleu trained Luis Vergara who happily introduced each dish, taking questions from the guests and even serving plates himself.
Luis works closely with Esperanza on a variety of Peruvian food events, including three-hour cooking classes where you can learn to cook your own four-course Peruvian dinner.
Peruvian food dates back to the Inca and Pre-Inca times when the staple diet consisted of maize, potatoes and aromatic herbs, and was later influenced by the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. Further influenced by immigrants from China, Europe, Africa and Japan, Peruvian cuisine features a rich combination of flavours, colours and aromas.
The first course for the evening was “Ceviche Clasico”, snapper fillets marinated in lime juice, chilli & coriander and accompanied by sliced shallot. This dish was revelation for me as I’m not much of a seafood eater, but I really enjoyed this (and ate both spoonfuls!) It didn’t have the “fishy” taste I was dreading, and the kick of chilli right at the end was perfect.
The ceviche was matched with an Extra Brut NV from Mendoza, Argentina.
The second course was “Causa Limena Verde”. Causa is a popular Peruvian dish made form mashed potatoes mixed with lime, onion and chilli. Usually layered with vegetables, fish or chicken and served cold with olives and hard-boiled eggs, this Lima-style causa was accompanied by smoked cooked trout, avocado and olive aioli.
This course was matched with a glass of Torrontes from Salta, Argentina.
Main course was “Chicharron de Cerdo Criollo” – pork braised with mint and vegetables, served with cassava (a potato-ish root vegetable) and Criolla onion salad. As tender and delicious as the pork was, the combination of the cassava, spicy onion salad and the yellow chilli sauce was a textural and flavorsome delight, and my favourite bite of the evening.
This course was matched with a glass of distinctive Uruguayan Red Blend (Tannar-Merlot-Cabernet) from Maldonado, Urguguay.
Dessert was a familiar dish – Churros in vanilla with cinnamon and chocolate varieties, served with a decadent chilli & caramel sauce and chocolate ganache.
These were washed down with a glass of rather intense dessert wine from Atalntida, Uruguay.
Stacey from South American and Spanish wine importer Untapped Fine Wines was on hand to educate the guests about each wine.
Eliza and Reece provided flawless and cheerful service during the event, keeping everyone’s glasses full and rolling out the plates with great efficiency. They didn’t even get annoyed when the guy with the camera got in the way ;)
I had a fantastic time at the dinner, and I’d like to thank Esperanza and Chef Luis for the invitation. I experienced a range of new flavours, but more importantly enjoyed an evening full of conversation and laughter. Everyone was there for the same reason, and all went home happy.
If you’re interested in trying Peruvian cuisine for yourself, check out Perth meets Peru on Facebook for details of their upcoming events. They will be holding another degustation dinner in October, and it’s an experience I can thoroughly recommend.
See below for some more pictures from the evening!
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