Astrid y Gaston - Restaurant Review

(by Melanie Bayly from http://perufood.blogspot.com/)

Astrid y Gaston has been with us for 14 years. They first started serving French food but now it has been redesigned and now the restaurants are vessels in which Peruvian food and ingredients are making themselves known. There are several Restaurants around Latin America in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, and one in Madrid. One is opening soon one in Mexico and Argentina as well.

Carolina explains that the purpose of the restaurants is to make Peruvian food known the best way they know: serving a quality meal. When they pen a restaurant in another country, they make time to travel around it learning the culture, their flavors and trying to find an ingredient they can include in their menu. To make sure they have the same flavors in every restaurant they open, they make the bases of their sauces in Lima and export them; this lets them to raise the bar on Peruvian food.

Reservations can be made either online or by phone. This is a must. They rarely have a table for the same night so one has to reserve with at least two days in advance. This not only due to the remodeling taking place, which will finish 10 days from now, but because of the food and service they provide. When you come through the door, you are greeted by a kind smile.

The maître d’ or hostess will take your name, look up your reservation and take you to your table. I suggest coming a bit early and enjoying a couple of drinks at the bar. On your right hand side we find the waiting area and, through an archway, the bar. It seats 40 and has some unusual drinks. The bar itself is made with marble and wood. On the back they have boards with some suggestions on food and drink. The very friendly waiters will also help with this important decision. The main dining area has a combination of earthy colors and colorful paintings; I found it resembled the sierra. When it opens it will seat around 85. There is also the cava, a smaller room which seats 40 people. On the walls you have the wines you can choose from and some books which several customers have eyed. It is used in several occasions as a private area for 30 to 40 people.

The tables are dressed in white with unique dishes made especially for Astrid y Gaston. A special treat if you are seating near the waiter’s station in the main dining room, is that you can see the desserts being made and the kitchen in the back, closed with a glass so smells and noise won’t disturb your meal.

We had lunch at the bar. As usual we had a couple of drinks first: the Uruwas, a cocktail made with fresh granadilla juice and pisco, quite soft and fresh, the Candela made with ají Amarillo and mandarin orange, a spicy drink with a very intense yellow color. And finally one made with pureed Rocoto, not as spicy as the ají Amarillo but very good and fun to drink. They also brought us some home macerated olives and fresh goat cheese with spices. Don’t be afraid to try the goat cheese. It is not as strong as goat cheeses usually are.

First we ate the Camarones de Homenaje al Sur: a shrimp tartar with huacatay, onions and some tomatoes served over potatoes confit and acompanied by a tiradito with moye pepper and erizo sauce. A good combination. The tartar was soft and fresh, the potatoes added a bit of sweetness to the shrimp. The tiradito, also fresh, was light and the sauce went well since it wasn’t heavy nor overpowering. Then came el Atún y el Camote. I love the name, it sounds like a story. The pieces of Tuna sealed with spices were placed on a bed of different styles of cooking yams. There was the puré, then the pastel, the cannelloni made with huacatay stuffed with yams and fideos, everything was bathed with a purple corn reduction, topped with pineapple. Just by looking at this my mouth started to water. The tuna was cooked just right, and the yams were excellent, I liked that you had different textures in the same plate. The purple corn sauce was very well done, thick and it went well with the fish.

After they delighted us with a wonderful bread basket. They were all home made breads made twice a day. There were some quinoa crissinos, ají and onion bread, Corn bread, potato bread and the last one made with rocoto and huacatay. You can tell the potato and corn bread are made with more potatoes and corn than flour because of their heavy texture. Remember to not fill up on bread because there is more to come.

The main course was one of Carolina’s favorite, the Cochinillo de leche with an asado and cacao sauce accompanied by a carapulcra and a blanquillo with morcilla. The pork had a soft crunchy skin and the meat was extremely tender and juicy. The carapulcra made with yellow and black potatoes had a soft flavor that went well with the cochinillo. Last but not least the blanquillo, like a peach, was a good break from the powerful sauce. The portions are large and one could easily get full after a meal like this, but I suggest you save some room for dessert or at least share one with your guests.

Carolina brought out a sampler dessert plate. There was warm Pastel de Choclo with Mazamorra Morada. It was soft and warm, it blended well with the Mazamorra. The Arroz con Leche de Lúcuma was airy and smooth, you could taste the lúcuma in every bite but didn’t have its sandy texture. The Mousse de Queso served with Sorbete de Ají Amarillo was a good surprise, the ice cream tasted like ají but wasn’t spicy like the drink. On the far end were the Trufas de Chocolate calientes. They are fried and when served the center is still melted and warm. In the middle of the plate there were three sorbets; Tuna, Star fruit and Lemon. My favorite was the tuna sorbet fresh and it was like biting into a sweet prickly pear.I went there years ago when they served French food, I had a fish with potato ‘scales’. It was excellent and so was the Crème Brulée we had for dessert; it is nice to know that eventhough they have changed styles the food still maintains its quality.
The Chef is Carolina Rodriguez, the head Chef for Latin America, is one of the many people who grew with the brand. When she graduated from the Cordon Bleu about 9 years ago she had the misfortune of breaking her foot, therefore could not work in the kitchen, but she did not let this become an excuse for not doing anything. She made it into a challenge and started giving cooking classes; which evolved into a small company. However fate had other plans for her. A friend of her told her Tanta was opening and were looking for a person to become the head of the kitchen. She applied and was hired almost on the spot. After a couple of years she was invited to be part of Astrid y Gaston in Colombia as a sous-chef. Needless to say she was delighted.

After only seven months they asked her to open another one in Ecuador and train the staff. After this she went to Venezuela, then Panama. Carolina has been travelling from one restaurant to another organizing, training and creating new menus. She loves her work and never imagined she would get so far so fast. She is proud of her Peruvian heritage. When listening to her talk about her career you can tell she loves the kitchen and is proud of working in this restaurant, as are all her teammates.

While there I met, Eduardo Paz, the chef for Astrid y Gaston in Peru. He started his culinary path with Outback steakhouse in San Isidro in which he worked there for two years. Then a friend told him Astrid y Gaston was hiring and went for the interview; he’s been a part of the family for 10 years. He started in the frios entrée section of the restaurant which allowed him to work side by side with Gaston himself. He learnt all the new dishes Gaston was making and at the same time had to keep making everything the customer ordered. After seeing how well Eduardo was in the kitchen they rotated him in different kitchen areas. Then they gave him people to train, which is a huge responsibility.

Finally he became the head of the kitchen where he’s been ever since. As I was touring around I met Doris, head of the pastry area who’s been there for three years and Ronald the maître d, who’s been a part of the family for 13 years. They only have two trainees at a time, a quite sought after spot; they have a waiting list! Their idea is to train a future family member and not just a cook who will leave after training. They want him or her to learn the skill, be able to develop themselves in the kitchen and stay with them.

The Facts: Astrid y Gaston. Address: Cantuarias 175, Miraflores. Phone number: 242-4422 / 242-5387. Hours: Monday – Saturday 12.30 pm – 3.30 pm; 7:45 pm – 11:45 pm.

Website: http://www.astridygaston.com/. Online Reservation: Yes.

Valet Parking: Yes. Menu in English: Yes (on web page as well). Reservation recommended: Yes, about a two day wait for dinner. Cards accepted: ALL major cards. Business friendly: Yes. Handicap accessible. Catering for special dietary needs: Yes. Service Charge: S/. 11.00. Descorche: Free. Expect to spend: $ 45.00. Full bar: Yes. Outdoor seating/terrace: No.