Peru: Foodie heaven in Lima

When speaking to friends who had been to Peru, most recommended spending more time in Cuzco and the countryside and only a briefly visiting Lima. I ended up spending four nights and it really overdelivered. The main reason is that Lima is truly a foodie heaven. I was also lucky enough to get sunshine and blue skies in this beautiful coastal city, enjoyed a cycling tour and stayed at two really good hotels.

Logistical magic

Lima marked two junctures of of my South America trip. First, on 9th November, I flew to Lima from Santiago to meet my uni friend Adam. From there we travelled around Peru and Bolivia for two weeks. Secondly, on 22nd November Adam and I flew back to Lima to spend a day and a half eating! The most organised part of my overall trip planning has to be the fact that my mum flew in on the British Airways direct flight from London to Lima on the same plane that Adam would be flying back to London on.

Barranco and Miraflores

I stayed two nights each at 3B Barranco and Casa Andina Private Collection in Miraflores. 3B’s was a cute modern hotel with bright clean rooms and a colourful communal area where an excellent made to order breakfast was served. It was located in the bohemian district of Barranco, amidst colourful relaxed streets and an excellent array of restaurants. The ladies at reception were incredibly helpful in recommending places to eat and getting our laundry done. Dedalo is a quirky upmarket handicrafts shop with a courtyard coffee shop on the leafy street Saenz Pena. It was one of the many places I had to bring my mum back to when playing tour guide. There were several hipster shops and cafes that could have been at home in Shoreditch.

Casa Andina was a much bigger traditional 5-star hotel in the more touristy and commercial Miraflores district on the coast. It had a Peruvian twist in the decor and served lots of tasty South American dishes for breakfast including fresh avocado spread and toasted Kiwacha, a supergrain more nutritious than quinoa. As well as checking out the coastal views in Miraflores, one morning my mum and I ventured to Huaca Pucllana, a site of built of adobe and clay by the Lima civilisation between 200 and 700 AD. It was great to see an ancient site set amidst a busy city, in the same way that central park in New York carves out space in a metropolis. We had a drink at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the sight. It must be stunning at night when the ruins are illuminated.

Bike Tour of Lima

This was a relaxing way to see more of Barranco and Miraflores. The bikes were high quality and for the most part we avoided traffic on bike lanes or back roads. Our guide took our group of five from the bike shop in Miraflores to some of the local parks including Parque del Amor (love park) with coastal views and Gaudi-style architecture. The theme of romance can be seen in the statue called “El Beso” (but nicknamed Fiona and Shrek) and Peruvian poetry quotations. Much of our route was along the coastline which was ideal – sunshine with a cool breeze!

We stopped to look at the beach close to Larco Mar, a shopping centre that was built into the cliffs in to prevent obstruction of the sea view. The colourful umbrellas and pastel buildings give the coast a French Riviera feel.

In Barranco (meaning cliff), we saw the old international houses that were unscathed in the war with Chile, perhaps in part because European settlers put up their own national flags on their homes to protect themselves. In fact, many Europeans settled in this suburb during the Juano (fertiliser) boom. Peru was the number one exporter of bird poo fertiliser. These were the days before artificial fertiliser had been invented.

We cycled to Puento de los Suspiros (bridge of sighs) where on your first sighting you can hold your breath, walk (or run) across and make a wish. Plaza de Barranco was surrounded by colourful buildings – even a Starbucks was painted a tasteful mustard colour. In this area, we also saw colourful graffiti so typical of South America in general. Again, this was somewhere I brought my mum back to visit.

Piselli 1915 was an atmospheric pitstop for beers and sandwiches. This was a traditional Italian-style Bodega bar, an old wooden corner shop with a bar attached.

As well as taking in the city, on the tour we learnt a bit about Lima’s history. For example, the Shining Path terrorist group and corruption led to a lot of wealthy Peruvians leaving Peru to go live abroad in the 80s and 90s. Geographically, the ocean used to be accessed by “Los Banos” bathing house but now a road has been built between the cliffs and the sea.

Food heaven

Adam and I were told you cannot eat a bad meal in Lima. We found this to be true. Peruvian food is so flavoursome and distinctive and Lima showcases the cuisine. A few highlights:

Isolina: Traditional hearty stews and meaty dishes at this small traditionally decorated restaurant in Barranco. Adam had a mammoth lomo saltado (stir fried steak, veg and chips) and I had a coriander ribs stew with rice and beans, large enough to feed a family. The red wine and spanish music were also excellent!

Canta Rana: A seafood restaurant in Barranco that is frequented mostly by locals, whether it be business people or hipsters. The ceviche (white fish marinated in lime and chilli served with fried corn and giant peruvian corn) and tiradito (finely sliced flounder with citrus and red chilli) were outstanding. When I came back with my mum, we also tried tacu tacu which is a mix of rice and beans shaped into a block and covered with a curry – in our case, prawns in a deliciously spiced yellow pepper sauce.

Gloria’s in Miraflores: An old fashioned pink and square room with lots of paintings. We initially came in because the doorman was so helpful pointing us towards the restaurant we were actually looking for that had too long a waiting list! It was busy with a few groups clearly here for client dinners. I had one of the best seafood spaghettis I’ve ever had with fried garlic. My mum had a well spiced fish dish. Perfect churros con chocolate for an indulgent desert!

Panchita: A large and buzzing Miraflores Peruvian restaurant that was too busy for us to get a place at the previous day. The highlight for me was the fresh springy corn bread served with soft butter and an array of Peruvian dips. We also tasted causa (a mashed potato pie filled with avocado and chicken), yellow chicken curry and crispy pork with onion, corn and potatoes. Although tasty, the portions were simply too massive to be able to enjoy fully.