Peru comes to the table

Yellow-pepper tiradito with seabass. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Today's hippest Peruvian plates are based on Nikkei cuisine, a fusion inspired by immigrants from Japan, where fresh seafood is equally revered - and Peru's treasure trove of limes, corn, aji amarillo (yellow chilies), starchy yuca tubers, all kinds of potatoes and the "superfood" quinoa that Peruvians have been eating for centuries. Nobu Matsuhisa has been using elements of this fusion cuisine since the late 1980s in his various Nobu restaurants throughout the world.

Tiradito is a plate of raw fish with subtle differences from ceviche. The fish is sliced, not cubed, and the sauce is applied just before serving, so the fish is not chemically "cooked" by the marinade. We tried the yellow-pepper version, with seabass, "tiger's milk", coriander, cucumber and radish. Sesame seeds give the dish an almost smoky finish.

Anticuchos - Peru's answer to China's chuan'r - are slices of beef heart deliciously grilled on a skewer, served with potatoes, corn and chimichurri sauce.

Other dishes reflect the impact of Peru's other immigrant communities.

Lomo saltado is a stir-fry of marinated beef, tomato, yellow pepper, vinegar, coriander, onion and fried potatoes. Typically served with rice, it originated as part of the chifa tradition among Chinese settlers and has flowed into the mainstream food culture.

Europeans obviously came to Peru, too, including Italians as well as Spaniards. They are represented on the Pachakutiq menu by fettucini in yellow-pepper cream with beef tenderloin, Parmesan cheese and a little jalapeno pepper.

Dessert options, if you saved room, include crema volteada, a Peruvian creme caramel or flan, made with condensed and evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

A richer variation (queso helado) has three milks, plus coconut and cinnamon.

But the fun dessert - and this restaurant is all about fun - is the molten lava cake, which comes with the vanilla ice cream you expect and a surprise flambe with pisco. It is a WeChat photo that should bring a hailstorm of likes if you snap before the flame goes out. There's plenty of time, really.

Contact the writer at michaelpeters@chinadaily.com.cn