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La Mar's location in San Francisco.
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Cebiche California local halibut, sunchoke leche de tigre, choclo, sweet potatoes and artichoke chips. Photo credit: Hockeystick Media
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The signature Lomo Saltado, influenced by Chifa cuisine. Photo credit: Hockeystick Media
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A Nikkei dish, the Limeño Tiradito with catch of the day, cancha, and rocoto sauce. Photo credit: Hockeystick Media
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By Natalia Otero
Peruvian gastronomy stands out for being one of those that best combines with gastronomy from other countries. La Mar Cebicheria Peruana, one of the eight most famous Peruvian restaurants in the world, part of the renowned Acurio Restaurantes group, seeks to be a traditional cebichería, but one that stands out for its details, quality products and innovation on the table. For this reason, its dishes include Chifa food (which arises from the fusion of Chinese and Peruvian culinary traditions), Nikkei (Japanese), Creole (typical Peruvian dishes) and Italian.
La Mar has locations in Lima, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Doha, Miami, Santiago de Chile, and San Francisco, where the head chef is Victoriano López. As he explains it, all the restaurants in La Mar stand out for their Peruvian cebiche and, without a doubt, they all have the same spirit, but each chef is free to contribute creatively to the dishes and to integrate local products into the food.
Clearly, La Mar's workhorse dish is the cebiches that, in the restaurant, are served fused with Nikkei food, and with fresh fish of the day, as is customary in Peru. Thanks to the Japanese immigrant population, there was an evolution in Peruvian gastronomy that adopted Nikkei precision techniques, combined with Peruvian ingredients.
Another of the star dishes at La Mar is the stir-fried tenderloin, one of the best Chifa dishes in Peru, which is prepared using traditional Chinese stir-fry techniques, with Peruvian ingredients and flavors. Chinese immigrants brought their ingredients and culinary techniques to Peru during the 19th century, such as fried rice dishes, called chaufa. In the case of the stir-fried loin, at La Mar, they serve it with tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, jalapeño, soybeans, oyster sauce, potatoes, and rice, creating a harmonious mix of sweet, sour, and salty flavors.
The restaurant also offers Creole food, which comes from those of Afro-American, indigenous and mestizo descent in Peru. The dishes are typical of Peruvian culture and can be easily found on the street. They use basic ingredients such as corn, potatoes and chili. A La Mar classic is the Causa Lima, a layered dish of chicken salad, potatoes, aioli, and amharico pepper. Another is Tacu-Tacu, a green bean dish.
“Nikkei food teaches us how to treat, eat and present fish,” Chef López explains. “Creole food includes the influences of our ancestors with delicacies such as empanadas de ají de gallina or anticuchos. Chifa food gives us that stir-fry technique. And the Italian influence gives us dishes like bachiche nigari -- named after the term given to Italian immigrants in Peru -- with roasted tomatoes, basil cream, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar reduction.”
Chef López believes that gastronomy is a door to discover the world. He and the creator of Acurio Restaurantes, chef Gastón Acurio — who saw a talent and a great partner in López —have traveled the world, opening more than 32 restaurants and even taking part in the television show Aventura Culinaria.
“The kitchen is an opportunity to learn about life and fulfill dreams,” López says. “For me, working with Acurio Restaurantes has been that great university. And it is for young people. Learning to cook is not only knowing how to prepare what is traditional, but also researching, being curious, traveling the world, learning cultures through cooking.”
This year is the 15th anniversary of La Mar-San Francisco and all the chefs from the seven cities will meet in a big thank you party, along with the suppliers. Soon, La Mar will open in Washington and Seattle, with López forming and coordinating the team in each location.
“I consider myself a coach, putting others in their positions to score goals,” he says. “Therefore, I have to choose the best to win the game. You have to have a winning mind, be positive, in everything. Then the numbers add up.”
Natalia Otero is a regular contributor to el Restaurante.