04-08-2025
Seize the plate, from Peru to Paloma
In recent months, the city's culinary landscape has expanded to welcome a wave of Peruvian and Latin American concepts that bring not only novel ingredients and techniques but also a deeper cultural narrative. Peruvian cuisine is a rich tapestry shaped by biodiversity and history. From the Pacific coastline and the Andes to the Amazon rainforest, Peru offers an unmatched variety of native produce. It is home to thousands of varieties of potatoes, rare chillies, tropical fruits, ancient grains and wild meats. These ingredients form the backbone of a cuisine that is earthy and refined, traditional yet constantly evolving.
What makes Peruvian food truly global is its history of migration. Over centuries, Peru welcomed waves of settlers – Spanish, African, Chinese and Japanese, who introduced their own culinary traditions. Among these, the Japanese-Peruvian fusion known as Nikkei cuisine has gained significant international attention. Nikkei combines Japanese techniques and precision with Peru's dynamic ingredients, resulting in dishes that are clean, citrusy and visually elegant. The familiar yet distinct flavours of ceviche, tiradito, anticuchos [grilled skewers] and ají rocoto [spicy red pepper] have begun to charm Indian palates.
RIKO, a Peruvian-Latin standalone restaurant recently opened in UB City, conceived by the Kofteci Group, known for restaurants like Oz by Kebapci and Klava. RIKO is both an homage and reinterpretation, its name means 'delicious' in Spanish, a promise delivered across seven sections of a thoughtfully curated menu. Highlights include bomba de choclo, a crispy corn custard sphere, and ceviche de mango y maracuyá, where passion fruit and lime elevate fresh prawns. The robust pollo a la brasa, a rotisserie chicken cooked over an open flame, pays tribute to traditional fire-led cooking, while desserts like cachapa con miel, a corn pancake drizzled with honey, offer comforting finishes.
RIKO's approach is unconventional in more ways than one. It does not serve alcohol, focusing instead on innovative, flavour-driven non-alcoholic beverages. Think Brazilian lemonade made with lime and condensed milk, and a cooling cucumber-coconut agua du fresco. Its interiors, too, reflect a blend of old and new, with clay installations, microcement textures and a curated library of cultural artefacts. 'RIKO is about memory, not mimicry,' say co-founders Aasim and Adeeb Shah. 'Our aim was to interpret Latin American culinary traditions with integrity and intent.'
Adding to the Latin wave is the newly opened Una Hacienda, perched above Bengaluru's busy streets with a beautiful conservatory. Designed by bar maestro Arijit Bose for the hospitality firm Investorant, this space evokes the spirit of a traditional Latin American estate house. Bose describes the concept as a return to the informal intimacy of evenings spent at a friend's home, long before Bengaluru's nightlife exploded. With tropical foliage, vintage furniture and golden lighting, Una Hacienda exudes a laid-back charm that is both nostalgic and modern.
