In Lima with your kids? And feeling like taking a break from schedules and relaxing like many Limenians do? Don’t think twice: take a taxi and head to the Parque de la Amistad, a large park in Surco distric, that is very well known (and easy to spot) because of its tall, Moorish-style arch: but what makes it really enjoyable are its other atractions, especially the pond. There’s fishes and lots of both local and migratory birds (depending on the season) and you can even rent a paddle boat and feed the animals (food bags are sold here). There’s also a real train, cafeterias and restaurants. Address: Caminos del Inca and Las Nazarenas, Surco. Open Hours: Tue-Sun 9am-9pm. Train ride: S/.4 soles. Boat ride: S/. 5 soles. Admission Free.

"Causaki", a fusion of the Peruvian "Causa" and the Japanese Maki. Potato, seafood, veggies, japanese sauces. Spectacular and deli.

El Sótano is one of the newest traditional-fusion cuisine places in Lima; not trendy (yet!), still keeping a low profile, located not in Lima nor Miraflores but in the “green district” of La Molina, this new spot is definitely a must if you consider yourself a true foodie, or simply if you have a few free hours and want to try a different, original and delectable experience.

El Sótano” (which means “The Basement”) is a family-owned, and family-run place led by its chef, Santiago Santolalla (19), who may seem quite young but proves to have a special talent for his job. Not only his customers and his teachers state this: the prestigious Institut Paul Bocuse (acknowledged as the best gastronomy school in France) has appointed him (and some other chefs in Peru) to attend its intensive and very selective program in Gastronomy and Restaurant Management.

El Sotano’s contribution to the many varieties of Peruvian cebiche is the cebiche cremoso: the traditional cebiche but with re-created with a creamy texture, served with fried shrimp, squid, tender corn and sweet potato.

Cebiche Cremoso ("Creamy ceviche"). The most recent all-Peruvian creation at El Sotano.

Let’s focus on food. Santiago describes his cuisine as one “with a strong Peruvian identity but also with a touch of fusion with other international cuisines”. In a few words, he takes the traditional Peruvian récipes and reinvents them by adding or substituting an ingredient, a spice, a way of cooking, a garnish, etc. The results are delicious, and the colorful presentation of each dish will for sure amaze you.

"Risotto a la Huancaina" with Chicken pieces in "Arroz con pollo" sauce. 100% Peruvian with some international touch. A must.

You know Peru has three natural regions: Coast, Mountains (Andes) and Jungle, and therefore many regional cuisines, ingredients, flavors. Here you have a chance of enjoying dishes that combine the best of each regional cuisine and and blend them with a delectable touch of either Mediterranean or Oriental cuisines: and all of these creations are made with natural and 100% in-house processed ingredients.

"Arroz Pachamanquero de Mariscos" (a pachamanca-flavored risotto with seafood). Coast and Andes in one dish, with a Mediterranean touch.

You may want to take a diferent city tour, for a, let’s say, 9am-4pm experience: visiting the Museo de la Nación, then the Museo de Oro, next, the Puruchuco archaeological site, and then finish with a delicious late lunch at El Sótano. And if you decide to stay in La Molina, close to large parks and far from the city’s traffic, there is even a very nice hotel just one block away from El Sotano, and another one a few more blocks away.

Regarding prices, El Sotano is quite affordable. Let’s point out at the fact that the servings are very generous, enough for two people. Average prices per dish range somewhere between S/.18 and S/.30 soles (US $7-12), desserts between S/.6 and S/. 12 soles (US $2-5), there’s a kid-friendly menú and, in addition, you will find executive lunches (combos) for S/. 16 soles on weekdays.

Dessert time! All banana-based. Peruvian, Mediterranean and Chinese fusion.

And to top it all, since this is a truly family-run restaurant, you will feel like at home: chef Santiago cooks side-by-side with his father Rafael, and his mother Marcela will warmly welcome you.

Don’t forget to ask for the desserts of the day!

Friendly, home-like dining room at El Sotano.

El Sótano

Los Constructores 1061, Urb. Santa Patricia, La Molina

Tlf.: +51 1 364-7010

Tourists attending a master chef class on Peruvian cuisine.

If there’s some activity that we all find truly enjoyable, that should be a great lunch or dinner. And if you are getting to know a new city, a new country, a new culture, what could be best than trying some of its most typical food? Native products, flavors and chefs, and with the advantage of being sure you are getting the real thing and at a fair price.

Cheers! Tourist enjoying at a pisco sour tasting.

Nowadays, Lima offers you the additional possibility of having the complete experience: a nice menu, a complete explanation on the ingredients and the dish itself, an interview with the chef, and maybe a master class if you are interested. Since Peruvian gastronomy is currently experiencing a boom, you will find many restaurants and even with our help it may be a little hard to make up your mind and pick one.

That’s where tour operators like Delectable Gourmet Tours come in handy. You only have to express your likes/dislikes and expectations, and they will design a gastronomic tour specially tailored for you –that is, a complete gourmet experience.

And do not worry about things like planning or logistics –they will arrange transportation, tours, and food, of course. But it’s not only food: you may also ask for delicacies like Peruvian wine tastings, pisco tastings, dinners with live shows, visiting food-related events, food fairs, etc.

Bon apettit!

Enjoying at the Mistura Food Fair Tourists Zone.

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(All photos are a courtesy of Delectable Food Tours).

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Orient Express Restobar (Photo: Isabel Guerra)

¿Ever dreamed of having a ride on the Orient Express train? It’s not too late: you can do it here in Lima… well, obviously this is not exactly the famous luxury train, but a small and cozy theme bar located in Miraflores, a charming place entirely decorated to resemble one of the Orient Express wagons.

Pisco sour Photo: Isabel Guerra)

But Orient Express Restobar is more than that: it’s also a kind of pisco sour temple. Its current bartender, Karol Miguel, won the Best Pisco Sour contest at the famous Mistura 2011 Food Fair. This was a real achievement; not only this is a very challenging and though competition that reunites the best bartenders in Peru, but is usually won by men. Besides, Karol is only 25 years old.

Don’t let the bartender’s young age fool you: she has spent many years working at some of the best restaurants in Lima. And as a curious contrast, the bar itself is almost 80 years old. Karol took charge of this place almost three years ago “and we had a lot of very hard work restoring its original decorations”, she recalls.

Well, the nice results are easily visible: once you hop in this wagon, pardon, this bar, you will feel like transported to the original Orient Express former glory days. The only concession to modern times are the flat TV screen and the credit card POS terminal machines.

(Photo: Isabel Guerra)

But let’s go straight to the point: the pisco sour. As you probably have been told by your Peruvian friends, this is the national flagship drink, and nowadays its fame trascends Peru’s borders. Karol won the contest with the same recipe she uses for her customers: 3-1-1, which means 3oz of pisco, 1oz of syrup and 1oz of lime juice, as the main ingredients.

But don’t ask us to reveal Karol’s bartender secrets. The best option is going to Orient Express bar and trying one of her awarded pisco sours: take a seat at one of those big and classy upholstered seats and start your Peruvian pisco trip.

Drinks need appetizers, and there’s some very good ones here. You may want to try the Tequeños (fried wonton pasta, stuffed) or the Alitas en salsa barbacoa (fried chicken wings in BBQ sauce), and there’s also a good selection of great fusion dishes like the Lomo Saltado, Fetuccini in Huancaina sauce, or international classics like Pappardelle, etc.

Pisco Sour and Fried Wings in BBQ Sauce (Photo: Isabel Guerra)

In addition to pisco sour, there’s also many other popular international drinks here, so you can come several times to have a different experience each. And you’re lucky enough you may get to see the resident ghost –a friendly one, that reportedly a few guests have seen sitting down at one of the tables.

HOW TO GET THERE:

ADRESS: Pasaje El Suche. Alcanfores 463, int. E-4, Miraflores.
PHONE: 01 447-7684.
OPEN HOURS: Mon-Thu 8pm-11pm  / Fri-Sun 8pm-3am

Bar entrance at Pasaje El Suche (Photo: Isabel Guerra)

Have you ever walked under a water tunnel? You can do it here in Lima, Peru, at the Magic Water Circuit. This place, which will turn five years old this July 2012, and since its first opening (July 26th, 2007) has become one of the favorite spots for both locals and foreigners as well. The circuit features 13 computer-operated fountains, one of which has a spray 80m (some 262ft) high. All these fountains are even more spectacular at nights, when the colored lights, laser beams and music are on. It is listed in the Guinness Records for being the largest fountains complex in the world located at a public park. Admission: 4 soles (free admision for children under four years old) / Open Hours: Wed-Sun 3pm-10:30pm / Show Times:  7:15pm, 8:15pm, 9:30pm.

One of Museo Metropolitano's exhibition halls (Photo: Limacomovamos.org)

To make this possible, the museum’s halls are actually carefully planned stages with scenery, where you will see some 40 films (2D and 3D), enacting many important historic moments and is protagonists, like Taulichusco chief, Francisco Pizarro, Nicolás de Ribera El Viejo (first Lima mayor), Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Martin de Porres, Viceroy Manuel Amat and his Peruvian Mistress Micaela Villegas, José de San Martín proclaiming the Independence, among many others.

Most of these audiovisual materials have been specially prepared by the Peruvian filmmaker Luis Llosa and his production team, enacting also certain moments like prehispanic religious rites, the arrival of the conquistadores, the daily life during the viceroyalty, some of the earthquakes that have hit Lima, etc.

The museum is located nearby Lima Downtown, pretty close to the Museo de Arte, Gran Parque de Lima and not to far away from the Magic Water Circuit.

Open Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9am to 5pm.

Admission Fee: S/. 4 soles

Peter Gabriel, during his performance in Lima on March 20th, 2009 (Photo: Isabel Guerra).

In addition to being recognized as a city that is a paradise and haven for foodies, Lima is also becoming an interesting venue for many international artists: as a reminder, during 2011 Limenians welcomed some stars like Metallica, Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, Britney Spears, or Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others.

Here we are listing a only a few of the upcoming concerts currently scheduled for 2012 in Lima, Peru. Rock, pop, electronic, the offer is varied and wide: but it is also true that most of these events cannot be confirmed until very few months in advance.

• Joe Cocker: the mythical British musician will perform in Lima on March 13th, at the Jockey Club del Peru. Tickets are on sale via Teleticket.com and prices range from 108 to 500 soles (US $41 to $190).
• Morrissey: The former leader of The Smiths will perform in Lima on March 14th, at the Jockey Club del Peru esplanade. Tickets are on sale via TuEntrada.com, and if you are interested hurry up, because some 70% the best seats are already sold.
• Demi Lovato: The young pop star wil perform in Lima on April 17th, at the Jockey Club del Peru. Tickets are available at Teleticket.com and prices range from 60 to 360 soles (US $22 to $138).
• Titans of Rock: a new band led by KISS’s Gene Simmons and other famous band’s former members (from Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Collective Soul, Deep Purple and others). The producers have confirmed that this band will perform in Lima on April 19, at the Monumental Stadium esplanade, but at present tickets are not on sale yet.
• Roxette: The duet has confirmed Lima as part of their Latin American tour, and their concert has been scheduled for April 21st at the Monumental stadium esplanade. They are promoting their latest release “Charm School”, but will also include many of their former hits.  Tickets are not on sale yet.
•  The Mission UK: this will not be their first performance in Lima (the first one took place in 2002), but this time they claim to bring their original conformation. Celebratign their 25th anniversary, they will perform on May 23rd at Scencia Conventions Center. Tickets are already on sale at TuEntrada,com. and prices range from 99 to 2o2 soles (US $37 to $79).
• Roger Hodson: Rumors say that the former Supertramp leading voice may perform in Lima on April 12th.

Whenever possible we are including info about ticketing: but please take note that the production teams may vary some details or dates, so make sure to confirm via the artists’ web pages.

Other international artists that allegedly will include Lima, Peru in their 2012 tours, during the second half of this year, may be Ringo Starr, Madonna, Foo Fighters, Bjork, and Lady Gaga. Negotiations for some of these are already going on.

Stay tuned!

Chicken Tika Mix, Balti Gosht and Strawberry Lassi at Guru (Photo: Isabel Guerra)

Lima, Peru is becoming a true paradise for foodies. Not only its native cuisine is gaining recognition and growing day by day, but also many restaurants dedicated to other nations’ native cuisines are opening every month. One of these is Guru Kebab & Curry, which actually opened its doors in Surco three years ago, and has at present become a quite a referent regarding Indian and Pakistani cuisines.

The decoration and design of the restaurant are obviously Indian-themed, based in warm colours (specially red and orange), with dark wood tables and chairs. The place is owned and run by Pakistani-born Waheed Ashraf and his Peruvian wife Katia.

Ashraf prides in offering and preparing the very same traditional recipes that he learned from his mother: “I prefer not to make any fusion: I prefer to do what I already know.  And I prepare everything by myself here, including the yogurts and the bread dough” says Waheed, while Katia explains that they decided to open this restaurant because there was not any similar place in Lima: “It was about time and we were ready” she recalls.

However, if you think this is a 100% vegetarian place, you are wrong. It is true that there are many veggie-based dishes here, but as Katia says “this is not a religious restaurant, we are open to the many India and Pakistan styles”, so you will find many dishes made from chicken, beef and seafood, due not only to the historic coexistence of many nations, cultures and religions, but also to the influences and fusions left in these countries by foreign colonizations.

Balti Gosht at Guru. Lima, Peru (Photo: Isabel Guerra)

Celebrating its upcoming fourth anniversary, Guru is offering a renewed menu list, and we tried a couple of these new additions: Chicken Tika Mix, which combines three styles and flavors (shahi, hariyali and tandoori) in one,  and the Balti Gosht, a delicious and generous beef and curry dish native from the Punjab, (cooked in a wok) which may be enough for two people or maybe even for three.

We also had the traditional hand-made bread Garlic Naan, baked in the traditional tandoori oven, and a strawberry lassi, a yummy, refreshing and very cold yogurt-based beverage that combines very well with the food flavors and is also extremely easy to digest.

However, the place is a bit small and is often crowded in the evenings, so we strongly advice you to book a reservation in advance, specially if you want to go on weekends. Or you may want to have your meal delivered to your hotel, which may be possible if it is located in an area nearby the restaurant.

Guru Kebab & Curry

Benavides 3796, Surco, Lima.

Open Hours: Tuesday to Saturday Noon-4pm and 6:30pm-11pm. Sundays: Lunch only.

Phones: 273-5658 / 991-992-603.

Garlic Naan (Photo: Isabel Guerra)

Chorrillos, Lima, Perú. (Photo: M. Isabel Guerra).

Different and exciting mean both “not boring”. And if you need some additional help to make your visit to Lima even more interesting, here’s some tips.

1)    Try a good pisco sour. Everyone, even your Peruvian friends, will claim that theirs is the best pisco sour you will ever try. However, there’s some spots in Lima where you can be sure that your experience will be truly unforgettable:  to name only a few, we suggest Huaringas Bar, Capitan Melendez, and Mayta, the latter famous for its cocktails made with fruit macerados (fruit macerated in pisco).

2)    Learn some paragliding! If you are reasonably fit, this may be not only an exciting experience but also a unique opportunity to take stunning photos of Lima. Some agencies and instructors that will help you with this are Fly Adventure Paragliding School, Infinity Escuela de Parapente, and AeroXtreme, all of them offering regular classes or simply a tandem flight over Miraflores coast line. If you do not suffer from acrophobia, this will probably become one of the most cherished travel experiences you’ve ever have.

3)    Adventure sports in the city? Not exactly, but there’s a few hikes and excursions with some exciting physical challenges. Some of these could be the Bosques de Zarate, a great and quite easy introductory excursion for those interested in hiking the Andes (best time: between May and November), or Lomas de Lachay (June-September), a stunning green oasis with plenty of native fauna in the middle of the coastal desert.

4)    Exciting cuisine! New, tasty and great flavors, and safe, well-cooked food that will not bite you; an experience that you will not have anywhere else. Try the Peruvian flavor ribs at Mis Costillitas , or a daring Japanese-Peruvian gastronomic fusion at Niqei, or experience some true Peruvian Andean foods and flavors, without leaving Lima, at Kamcha.

5)    Looking for some exciting  views? Take any Cerro San Cristóbal your, specially on a clear day, to have a unique view of the whole Lima: you will even see the Rimac river coming from the Andes, and if the day is really clear, will get to see the ships at Callao port. Another great view of the sea and the Costa Verde beaches is available from Larcomar , and from the Malecon de Chorrillos, where you can see the coastal districts’ buildings by and the small fishermen’s boats.