"A taste of PERú"

Everything is ready to celebrate  “A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions at The Lincoln. Opening tonight and followed by  the 22nd, 28th and 29th of July, it  promises to be an experience to taste with all the senses.

Peruvian cuisine is one of the best kept food secrets in South America. It is well known for its exquisite taste, its variety and ability to incorporate influences from different times and cultures. Peru’s three regions, the Coast, the Andean Sierra, and the Amazon jungle, together with the rich variety of wild fish and seafood harvested from the Pacific Ocean, have made Peruvian cuisine an important expression of its culture.

As a Peruvian chef who is part of the “Gastronomic Revolution” currently taking place, Chef Saravia feels to have the responsibility, both as a Peruvian and as a chef, to show other countries what they, as a diverse nation of cultures, have to offer: a fusion of Peruvian recipes and local ingredients, combining traditional cooking techniques with haute cuisine while at the same time keeping their roots, and therefore creating a stylish new Peruvian cuisine.

An impeccable  menu where Chef Saravia express his vision of Peru matched with Argeninean wines (Jed Wines) made by Australian winemakers.

Don´t miss the experience to taste Peru without leaving the city.

Sydney gets dressed with Peruvian flavours!

Degustation nights

There are so many gastronomic trends co-existing in Peru being the Creole o Criolla cuisine  the most widespread in Lima with an interesting history behind.

Creole or Criolla dates back to the times when the Spanish Conquerors arrived in Peru, and It´s a mix between native Peruvians with Spanish. Creole cuisine represents the blending of both cultures,  techniques and ingredients, with tasty mains of fish and meat and exquisite desserts as its principal attractions.

Seco de Cordero w/ Peruvian style Carapulcra

One of most popular Creole dishes is the Seco de Cordero, made of braised lamb, white beans and rice, with origins in the north of Peru. The Northern cities of Cajamarca (in the Andeans) and Trujillo (coastal city) both claim to have the best seco.

Carapulcra, Quechua word meaning “food cooked with burning stone” is considered a fusion between Incan cuisine and other gastronomical elements brought in by the Spanish during Vice-royalty times so, If there’s a dish that best sums up the Peruvian history, this would be it.

It was originally  made with tiny bits of potatoes  put through a sun drying process and served with a pepper sauce. With the past of the years, Carpulcra has evolved by adding cure meat, rice or cassava as garnish to accompany the rich potato stew.

Chef Saravia´s version of these two Peruvian dishes is a mix  of flavours and history, with ancient ingredients cooked with new techniques always keeping  his particular touch.

Don´t miss it out!

“A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions

Pacha means earth in Quechua dilect, and is Saravias´ interpretation of Peru´s land treasures.

In this occasion Chef Saravia combines three Peruvian signature dishes, all of them from the earth and with his particular touch to make you appreciate the colors, textures and flavours of The  Mother Earth.

Huancaína mille-feuille

Huancaína mille-feuille is Saravias´personal vision of one of the most famous Peruvian entreés: Papa a la Huancaína.

The history behind this dish goes back to the times where the railroad from  Lima to the mountain area was constructed. A number of crews were working in very hard conditions and at more than 2000 m.a.s.l.Women from the Huancayan population were providing the crews with meals for lunch to feed them and give them energy to keep on working. One day, one of the woman from Hauncayo brought nice potatoes with a delicious cheese-based sauce and some hard-boiled egg pieces. The sauce consisted of crushed cheese mixed with minced rocoto (Peruvian pepper, old  friend for us…). The dish was a hit and crews would expect this woman’s arrival every day  calling out:  “A que hora llega la papa de la Huancaína” (What time does the Huancayan’s potato arrive?)

With the past of the years the recipe slightly changed. Rocoto was replaced for ají (Peruvian chili) and oil began to be included in the preparation ,but one thing never has changed, and this is the  popularity of the dish.

Andean corn tamal w/ grilled halloumi

Tamal comes from the word tamalii from the Nahuatl language spoken by the Aztecs. The meaning is  “wrapped food” and this is the principal characteristic of the dish,  a dough made from corn with different fillings, and  wrapped in corn husks or  leaves before cooking.

With the certainty of a Latin American origin , no one knows for sure when or who invented the tamal but we do know is that tamales are wide-spread through Latin and South America and every country has its own Tamal.

Peruvian tamales tend to be spicy, wrapped in banana leaves. Common fillings are chicken, pork, or chees and usually accompanied by boiled eggs, olives, peanuts or a piece of chili pepper.

This time, tamal will be served with grilled Halloumi, a salty cheese creating a delightful combination.

Lima bean causa w/ confi tomato concasse,

Peruvian corn & black olive salsa

Another Peruvian representative dish is the causa made with one their contribution to the word, and what Peruvians have the most,  potatoes.

It is said that it  was  originated during the time of the Incas, basing this assertion on the sound of the Quechuan word “causay”, which means “life”, “sustenance for living”, and therefore, food.  Others say that it was birthed during the War of the Pacific (Peru v. Chile) in 1879, when the women, preparing the soldiers’ food, handed them mashed potatoes seasoned with lime juice, salt, and chili peppers, telling them it was “por la causa” (for the cause).

Chef Saravia´s causa  is presented with Lima bean instead of potatoes, to make a twist but keeping the original flavours.

Enjoy with us  Peruvian flavours in these exclusive dinners at:

“A taste of PERú“- Winter Sessions

When talking about Chala, we are talking about sea, fishermen sailing the ocean, or small beach food stalls selling the catch of the day.

That´s the meaning of the first dish of our menu at  “A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions, Chef Saravia´s particular tribute to Peruvian coastal cuisine.

Japanese scallop ceviche w/drops of coriander yogurt.

Ceviche is the wide-spread word in Peruvian Gastronomy. A signature dish that hides lots of myths and stories.

The first legend is about its creation, in fact, we know that the old Peruvians used to eat raw fish. For the pre-Incas cultures raw fish was part of their diet, seasoned with sea salt and ají (Peruvian chili). Sour oranges or other sour fruits were used to gently cook the fish. The Spanish contribution to the dish was the lemon, and at that time the first written recipe of ceviche was created.

Another  legend tells that when English sailors arrived to the coast of Peru, they saw native Peruvians eating small pieces of raw fresh fish. They called it “Sea beach” pronounced by natives as “seviche”.

Besides all this exiting myths and legends there is also the big debate about the spelling of this delicious plate, “cebiche”, “seviche”, “ceviche”, being all of them accepted.

Cristal Bay prawn tiradito dressed w/ rocoto and green oil

A favorite ceviche twist is known as “tiradito”, called this way because chefs use thin slices of fish  (“tiras” in Spanish) to present it, but without onions.

Rocoto is a South American chili pepper. It takes its name from the  Quechua word  rucutu. The colors  of Rocoto vary from green to red and ranges in heat from medium to very hot, depending on the weather.

For Peruvians, Rocoto as many other chilies, is part of every  meal, providing the spicy touch.

Swordfish anticucho

It is believed that the term Anticucho comes from the Quechua word antikuchu (anti: Andes and kuchu: ‘court’) or anti-uchu (uchu ‘porridge, mix’). In spite of this uncertain etymology, what is sure is that it comes from the Andes.

Traditional Anticucho consist of  small pieces of grilled skewered meat being the most popular made of beef heart. This meat is marinated in red vinegar, garlic, annatto seeds and some spices. The  European ingredients like garlic were added when the Spanish Conquerors arrived in  Peru.

Chala is a trip to Peruvian ancient cuisine  to immerse yourself in new textures and flavours.

If you want to taste this delightful menu and learn more about the history of dishes and ingredients, don´t miss this out.

“A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions

As  Fernande Garvin said “Wine makes a symphony of a good meal” and  what could be a better way to mach Peruvian flavours to let this symphony flows  than with Argentinean wines made by Australian winemakers.

With combined winemaking experience in Australia, France, North and South America, Jed’s three young Australian winemakers have travelled the worlds wine regions in search of ideal vineyard sites. This search led the trio to the Uco Valley in Mendoza (Argentina), one of the world’s true frontier wine regions.

Each year, Jed’s winemaking team travel to the Uco Valley in Argentina to produce wines that express the unique characters of this acclaimed region.

The result is a range of elegant wines with an unrivaled purity thanks to the pristine environment that the Uco Valley yields.

‘We are really excited to be working with ‘A taste of PERú’ in order to bring the best of South America to Australian shores’ , said Jed Wines.

And ‘A taste of PERú” is proud to present “A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions matched with Jed Wines. An excellent combination of Australian wines keeping the South American roots.

Last Wednesday we celebrated an exclusive media dinner at The Lincoln to launch The Lincoln presents, “A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions, a series of Degustation nights during July (21st, 22nd, 28th and 29th) to be held at The Lincoln.

The guests were received with a traditional Pisco cocktail with a modern twist by The Lincoln´s lovely bar team and a delightful corn fed chicken with porcini  and Aji mayonnaise on melba toast canapé.

After introductions,  they were guided to the dinning room where Chef Saravia  presented  “A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions : BEHIND THE SCENES.

A seven course degustation dinner where guest enjoyed, between the entrées, a fresh Japanese scallop ceviche,  swordfish anticucho or Lima bean causa . The Andean corn tamal with grilled halloumi or the Huancaína mille-feuille were just one the samples of Chef Saravia´s interpretation of Peruvian flavours.

The mains, a tender lamb backstrap with seco sauce and celeriac purée accompanied with  carapulcra or the  steamed blue eye cod with sudado based organic quinoa and wild mushrooms were a delicious mix of  Peruvian coast and Andean Sierra.

Lúcuma alfajor with a soft and creamy carob parfait and the sweet aromatic organic quinoa consomé with caramelized fruits and pops were the final touch of the dinner.

Jed Wines were between the guests, and we took the opportunity of having  a table full of experts to work on the combination of Peruvian food and Argentinean wines made by Australian winemakers.

BEHIND THE SCENES was a lovely evening with food passionate people and  Chef Saravia explaining the secrets of his brand new menu and his personal vision of Peruvian food.

An explosion of flavours, colours and textures which culminated in what is going to be The Lincoln presents, “A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions.

Degustation nights are ON!

Fainted lights contrasting Kings Cross´ neons, relaxed atmosphere evading bustling Bayswater Road…a luxury setting where sophistication and refinement, blended with a friendly world-class service makes you feel at home but away from home.

Welcome, you are at The Lincoln

Inside, the experience offers a dressed table, seven courses of Modern Peruvian cuisine, exotic ingredients and a Chef who loves food and innovation.

The Lincoln presents, ”A taste of PERú” – Winter Sessions

“A taste of PERú” is the culinary result of Chef Alejandro Saravia to strengthen the cultural ties between Australia and Peru.

Following the success of “A taste of PERú” (April, 2009 at Sydney’s north side) and “Andean Flavours” (October, 2009 for the Sydney International Food Festival at Sheraton on the Park) Saravia continues introducing his interpretation of Peruvian cuisine to Australian palates.

A seven course degustation dinner with matched Argentinean wines (Jed Wines) hosted at The Lincoln during July (21st, 22nd, 28th, and 29th). Guests will also taste traditional Peruvian Pisco, presented in different cocktails by The Lincoln´s bar team.

In his menu, Chef Saravia combines fresh Australian ingredients with imported Peruvian products, and prepares them using both modern and traditional cooking techniques. Jed Wines portfolio is a trip made by Australian winemakers to the best Argentinean wine region.

Guests will savour dishes like Chala, (coast in Quechua dialect), a tribute to Peruvian coastal cuisine with Japanese scallop ceviche (pronounced se-vi-che), Cristal Bay prawn tiradito and swordfish anticucho. Pacha (earth in Quechua dialect) is Saravia´s interpretation of Peru´s land treasures with Huancaína Mille-feuille, Andean corn tamal with grilled halloumi, and Lima bean causa with Peruvian salsa. The menu will also showcase Peruvian desserts such as a sweet quinoa consommé and a lúcuma alfajor with custard apple purée and carob parfait.

“A taste of PERú” supports Peru´s Challenge, an Australian non-profit-organization created to improve the standard of living in rural Peruvian communities affected by extreme poverty. A $5 donation from each ticket sold will be made to Peruʼs Challenge because “A taste of PERú” believes every bit counts.

While keeping his roots, Saravia puts forth an interpretation of Peruvian cuisine that is creative and modern, and portrays refinement of culinary art in The Lincoln Presents, “A taste of PERú” - Winter Sessions.

The result is a light, yet down to earth cuisine that ensures to be a memorable experience.

For more information, bookings, or menu go to:

DEGUSTATION