Lunch at La Rosa Nautica

 

As many of you know, Liz and I just passed our 25th wedding anniversary.  We celebrated it earlier this week by going to lunch at La Rosa Nautica restaurant, which, having been founded in 1983, was one of the forerunners of the current boom in higher-quality restaurants.

 

We had never been there before, and we quite enjoyed ourselves.  Even though we found the food to not be exceptional in Lima's current gastronomic climate, the service, appointments, and setting of  the restaurant did make for a very nice --and even romantic-- dining experience.  Just the thing for an anniversary date!

From top left:  spiced potatoes with  shrimp, marinated octopus, seafood salad, scallops in cocktail sauce

"Corvina a lo macho" - fish fillet smothered in a piquant seafood sauce

"Hunter-style Rabbit" - cooked in a cognac and port sauce, with smoked ham and tarragon

Mancora

On  our second day in Piura we took a mototaxi ride  into Mancora.

Mancora is a fishing village that has turned into a tourist destination thanks to the nearby beaches and surfing spots.   Consequently, Mancora has turned into a bit of a tourist trap, with the main drag, along the Panamerican Highway, and the beachfront being lined with stalls hawking souvenirs and cheap bathing suits, and restaurants/drinking joints of dubious quality and salubriousness.

The community, nonetheless, has managed to keep hold of its fishing roots, and on the weekend we were in the area it was celebrating the Feast of Saint Peter, patron of fisherfolk.

As we strolled the beachfront looking for a place to eat -we were seeking some seco de chabelo, a regional dish- the townsfolk were holding a children's egg-in-the-spoon race on the beach while a small band belted out tunes.

The beachfront gazebo was crumbling, having clearly been undermined by waves at some not too distant past.  There was a sign warning people that it was not a suitable place for entertainment as it was too dangerous.  Of course that did not stop the band and emcee from setting up shop there, nor anyone else for that matter.

Eventually we ended our search for seco de chabelo at La Sirena de Juanchi, a restaurant on the main street, with  really ecclectic and fun decor, run by a lady from Lima who came to Mancora for a one-month stay nine years ago.

They did not serve seco de chabelo, but we did have some other really good food, including a tuna tiradito with balsamic vinegar.

Vichayito / Los Organos

Early Saturday morning, Liz and I flew north to Piura to spend a few days on one of the north coast's famed beaches.  We stayed at a resort that had been recommended by my cousin, the Vichayito Bungalows y Carpas, at Vichayito beach in the Piura district of Los Organos.

Los Organos is a two and a half hour drive from the Piura airport, something that wasn't made clear on the resort's website, nor was it made clear that their "airport pick-up service" is not complimentary, but must be paid for by the guest.   The going rate of 250 soles for the ride, which must be paid to the driver in cash, can leave one with nasty sticker shock surprise --in our case, the transportation from and to the Piura airport cost as much as our accommodations!- which is not at all a great way to start off one's vacation.

In any case, we determined to shake off the unpleasantness and enjoy ourselves, even though it was ten in the morning and we could not get into our room until three that afternoon (even though the literature in the room itself said that check-in was at 1 pm), so walked down the steps and onto the beach, where we spent some nice moments observing the waves, and watching boobies and frigate birds soar overhead, and whales spout and dive offshore, before heading up for lunch.

Last year, we were told, there were only ten days on which the sun did not shine.  We happened to arrive on one such day for this year.   Not only was Saturday overcast, it was quite windy - making it kind of rough on the few souls who gamely did their best to enjoy the beach they had come all this way to be at (we fared a bit better, since we were still fully clothed).

Sunday, despite an illusory promise early on, clouded right up by breakfast and, although not as windy, proved much the same.  There is a local folk belief that when the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, which land close together, are celebrated, it either clouds up or rains.  As it happened, Saturday was the Feast of Saint Peter (Day of the Fisherman).

On Monday, however -our last day- we arose to patches of blue in the sky, which cleared up a brilliant, sunny day by the end of breakfast.  We were thus finally able to break out our bathing suits and play in the surf,   Liz took the opportunity to go out on a sea kayak, during which trip she got to observe sea birds and a flying fish.  And, of course, we did what one expects to do at a beach resort: lounge in the sun, drinking pina coladas on the sands.  (In fact we got so sunburnt in our three hours on the beach on Monday, that we were kind of relieved that we didn't have three full days of such sun!)

All in all, it was three days well-spent in utter relaxation in a beautiful locale.

Huanchaco

I spent last weekend -my second in Peru- away fro Lima again, this time up north, visiting Susana who is living in the seaside town of Huanchaco and working in nearby Trujillo during her summer break from school.

Huanchaco is a quiet little town at this time of year, when many of the businesses are closed for the winter. It was once principally a fishermen's town and a port for the loading of sugar cargoes from the hacienda owned by the Larco family - the former loading pier has been turned into a pedestrian walkway with a gazebo at its end.  Today, it seems mainly to subsist on tourism, as the weather is mild all year round, it has a very pleasant beach, and is part of Peru's surfing and backpacker circuits.

Fisherman using a caballito de totora

Huanchaco is also rekown for the locals' building and use of caballitos de totora (lit. "little totora horses"), reed boats that have been in use for centuries.   In fact, depictions of caballitos have been found in 1,500-year old Moche pottery.

The totora plant grows in wetlands and standing water, which is possible to achieve even in northern Peru's coastal desert plain because in the area of Huancacho the water table is only a few meters below the surface of the ground.  The ancient Moche dug pits where they grew the totora, and many of these are still in use today, maintained -often by the same family- over many centuries.  Though the totora plant is crucial to family substistence for many of the locals, the totorales are increasingly threatened by urbanization.

The caballitos themselves are handmade by local craftsmen and fishermen, who gather the totora stalks, dry them, and tie them into bundles.  Each one has his own style and preference of materials, which -in addition to its placement- allows each fisherman to easily recognize his own boat.

Being a seaside resort Huanchaco, of course has plenty of establishments form which to choose from for dining, thirst-quenching, and just plain sitting and enjoying the view.

On the beach front, near the pier, is a place called Jungle Bar Bily, which has a sort of jungle/tiki bar ambiance.  It is open late and draws the more bohemian -and hard-drinking crowd- in  the late hours of the night.  They do serve a mean caipirinha.

One that has turned into a favourite of Susana and her companions is a small place a few blocks from the town's Plaza de Armas, called My Friend.  At My Friend there is offered a selection of several dozen spaghetti dishes -on the menu it's labeled a "Spaghetti Festival", which has become a catch phrase for Susa and her friends- for a very reasonable s/. 10, and on Thursday nights drinks are only s/. 3 each. We ended up there almost every night of my visit, as we found ourselves feeling "festive".

There is also, of course, no lack of seafood choices of varying price and quality, in terms of both flavour and ambiance. (The three examples below are from a restaurant called El Mochica.)

I arrived in Huanchaco on Thursday evenning and stayed until Sunday night.  In the intervening days, besides enjoying Huanchaco, I was able to meet Susana in Trujillo and tour that city for an afternoon, take a tour of the nearby archaeological sites of Chan Chan and the Huaca de la Luna, and take part in a cleansing ceremony by a local curandera, or traditinonal healer.  I'll write about those experiences in future installments.

Bocana

Upon my arrival in Lima Liz and cousin Juancho met me at the airport and whisked me off to San Bartolo, to cousin José's restaurant, Bocana.

In a previous post from an earlier trip I mentioned that my uncle Willy had purchased a home in the beach town of San Bartolo.  In time, they were thinking of selling the place as they did not manage to get out there as often as previously, but instead José, along with two friends of his, turned it into a seafood restaurant.

Bocana, like much of San Bartolo, is open only during the summer months, from December to Easter.  I arrived on the afternoon Easter Sunday and, though they had planned on closing down after lunch, they kindly held the restaurant open a few hours longer so I could experience it.

I must admit that I was surprised at the transformation of the spaces.  Inside, one would not readily recognize it as the same house, even thought no structural features were changed or removed (other than a semi-functional dune buggy).  With judicious application of curtains, bamboo accents, plants, and new furniture and wall decor, they have created a warm, inviting, and very pleasant place to eat at or to just enjoy the bar and some music.

The menu turned out to be no less inventive.

The house cebiche is a classic fish cebiche but accented with basil and Bocana's own secret seasoning.  To match it, they had their barman come up with a house drink, the Bocana, a lovely pisco chilcano with basil (pictured at top).

Another hit drink is a sour, the name of which I can't remember, with maracuyá (passion fruit).  It is offered in two variations, using only the juice of the fruit or unstrained, with the whole seeds left in.

The pisco sours, of course, leave nothing to be desired either -unless it's another round of 'em!

Neither does the chilcano de anís estrella, which is a chilcano flavored with star anise.   I believe this drink was first introduced at Malabar restaurant in San Isidro, and it has become a new staple of bars across the city.  It is simple in its preparation -simply substitute star anise-infused simple syrup for the regular simple syrup- yet, as we discovered last year when trying to make it at home, it can be surprisingly difficult to execute well.  Bocana's barman puts out one of the best, most balanced, chilcanos de anís estrella that I've had.

(This drink provided some opportunities for amusement beyond enjoying the drink itself.  As José and his fiancee, Carla, and José's partners were packing up the seat cushions and curtains as we finished our last drinks, Juancho tossed the anise star in José and Carla's direction.  They both immediately jumped, thinking it was a large spider, to peals of laughter from the rest of us.)

One of my favourite ways to start a meal in a Peruvian seafood restaurant is to order a leche de tigre.  Leche de tigre -lit. "tiger's milk"- is the liquid produced when making cebiche, it is tart with lime juice, spicy with ají, and full of fish flavour.  Sometimes served with the addition of a shot of pisco, leche de tigre is a great pick-me-up and, incidentally, can be a quick way to get a feel for the chef's hand at cebiche and Peruvian flavors.

We certainly enjoyed the rest of the meal as well, from the appetizers to the main dishes.   I can't recall anyone saying that they found their dishes wanting in any respect, although I have to admit that I was pretty busy tearing into my tuna loin with an almond crust and fetuccini noodles with Huancaína sauce.

Other dishes that were enjoyed were the seared beef loin with yellow potatoes that several people ordered, and the "Thai rice" with fish chicharrones.

José and his partners have done well in their endeavor, and the restaurant is understandably getting a lot of press lately, having been mentioned or featured in several print and TV reports on the Lima summer beach and gastronomic scene.

I just wish Bocana would be open all year long, so I could enjoy it on my own summer vacations.

Bocana
Mar Pacifico 335
San Bartolo - Peru
www.bocana.com.pe

Day at the Beach

On Sunday, to get away from Lima for a bit, we loaded ourselves into my cousin Juancho's and my uncle Willy's cars and headed down to Punta Hermosa, hoping for a change of scenery and a good seafood meal by the ocean.

Punta Hermosa is a a beach town a few kilometers south of Lima. It is just south of these islands, which face the long, long beach of San Pedro, where I often spent time with my friends the Zamudio's when I was a child. Their mom would pile us kids into her Mini and we'd drive down for the day. The surf was notoriously rough at that beach, but that just added to the excitement of it. The islands are called the San Pedro Islands, but are often referred to as The Whale.

As for Punta Hermosa itself, the water was quite rough today, but the town has a nice, curving beach, one end of which is marked by a small peninsula which was once an island separated from the mainland by a few dozen yards. As it was a favoured fishing spot, the townfolk built a causeway to it, and today due to the accumulation of sand along the causeway, it is no longer an island. It is presumed -no one seems to know for sure- that it was this outcropping that gave the locale its name as Punta Hermosa means "beatiful point."

Perhaps due to the rough surf or to some offshore feeding frenzy by large fish or dolphins, the beach was littered with pieces of jellyfish, including this singular chunck which led to all manner of crude jokes due to its resemblance to certain parts of a woman's anatomy.

We spent about and hour walking and playing on the beach before lunch at an ocean-front restaurant, and had a great time all around, before heading home and collapsing.

Here are two videos of the day. The first shows a crab crawling around my niece's leg and Mito rounding it up and then chasing his daughter down the beach with it. The second shows Mito with the girls braving the surf.

"La Catedral" in Paracas

This is La Catedral - The Cathedral- an impressive stone formation in the Paracas Natural Reserve, a peninsula south of Lima and quite near the epicenter of this week's 8.0 earthquake.

For years La Catedral has been one of Paracas' main attractions, not just because of its impressive double arch, but also because of the vault that gives it its name.

Along the southern side of the peninsula there is a long arching beach at the foot of seaside cliffs. The there water is so rough and the currents so treacherous that the local fishermen named it Supay, which means "devil" or "demon" in Quechua.

In 1976 I camped on that beach for a week with my Boy Scout troop, Jesus Maria #82, and La Catedral was one of the wonders we discovered for ourselves.

The land approach is from Supay beach, and through a small door-like opening in a cliff, as can be seen in this photo from a visit I made in July of 2002 with my children, my cousins Jose Alberto and Juancho, his wife, Cristina, and their daughter, Rafaela.

Susana, Jose Alberto, Cristina, Rafaela, Nicolas, and my cousin Juancho
at the entrance to La Catedral

Passing through the entrance and through a short passageway, one suddenly came into a large vaulting cavern, open to the sea.

From the cave the double arches could be seen and the noisy colonies of sea birds observed - as long as one kept an eye open for incoming waves! If one was patient and quiet for long enough, soon sea otters' heads would pop up out of the water to observe their visitors.

The Catedral was carved by immense forces, as evidenced by the massive boulders which littered the leeward side of the cavern. This week, that process -which undoubtedly took many thousands of years- took a drastic leap forward: the earthquake caused the main arch to collapse, sealing the cavern and doing away with a true natural wonder.