La Rue Vibre !

Roasted chicken and French fries, fish and rice, hamburguesa, everyday food in Peru could make you think that this country hasn’t a decent gastronomy, it’s false!
We check tested it in nothing less than the best restaurant of Arequipa: La Chicha. The chef, Gastón Acurio, is the best known in Peru, has he invented the “Cocina Novoandina”, the new Andean cooking where traditional Andean ingredients (like guinea pig, alpagua) are used in an international fashion.

First thing first: the place: the restaurant is hosted in a charming old arequipian house, which means massive white stone , and a beautiful central open space. Everything is beautifully and lightly decorated. The decoration and the soft music (very eclectic) invite you to take a seat and have a good long dinner.

The service is helpful, warm and not lavish. You may take this as granted, but in Mexico for instance, waiters are over-speeders which take your plate at the second you finish it, because there the faster the service, the better the restaurant.

The menu is great, although a bit large. It contains traditionnal peruvian receipts, and Novoandina receipts.
The cocktails choice is also great, all original and using well the profusion of exotic fruits in Peru (Peru is also a country of fisherman, mine was made of red thuna juice)
Both menus are in Spanish, which is a good sign in our opinion.

Here is what we had, roughly translated:
First plate: causa degustacion (tasting plate): little bowl of smashed yellow potatoes topped by sea products (spiny lobster, fish, octopus) with different sauces (huaca, cocktail)

Main plate : Vaca en dos Extremos (two extremes of beef): on one side a grilled meat, on the other side a beef stew inspired by the French “boeuf bourguignon”, exoticly seasoned, served with classical Peruvian side dishes, like meat stuffed potatoes, smashed potatoes fries … It’s a savant play with beef meat, delicious!

and

Panceta de cerdo crocante (crunchy pork panceta ): a huge part of fat streaky bacon, cooked in a mysterious way that makes it crunchy (you could break the top) but very tender inside, in a sweet sauce made from exotic fruits, sided with a spicy potatoes pasties, and small exotic fruits.

Plate’s decoration are fine, the dishes are well designed, and the portions are huge, which deprived us from a desert.

In our opinion this restaurant makes a good job in respecting the spirit of traditional Peruvian dishes, but in very refined way. Prices are reasonable regarding the quality, and it’s easily affordable for Europeans, a bit crazy for Peruvians, but not too much.
If you are pasing by Arequipa, you shouldnt miss La Chicha!