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Mayta

Lima

Colourful cuisine and cocktails from a Peruvian culinary ambassador

On the Pass

Jaime Pesaque Roose

What’s the hype? On its 10-year anniversary in 2018, Mayta moved to new premises with a revamped interior and totally redesigned menu. Since then, its star has been ascending, entering into Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2019 and making its debut on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2022. Chef Jaime Pesaque’s refined Peruvian cuisine now draws diners from all over the world.

On the menu: With its nine-course Mayta Experience tasting menu focusing on Peruvian ingredients, the restaurant serves dishes such as corn with tarwi (Andean beans) and quinoa flower, or ribs with fava beans. Each plate is a work of art, with colourful produce front and centre, such as thinly sliced ‘ham’ made from paiche fish shaped into an intricate rose. There’s also an à la carte menu with options like Amazonian ceviche or muña (Andean mint)  tart with passionfruit ice cream and white chocolate.

Preserving Peru: With great attention to sustainability, Pesaque works regularly with paiche, an Amazonian fish that needs to be eaten to prevent the destruction of other species. During the pandemic, the chef doubled down on research, working on recovering the biodiversity of the Ica ‘fertile desert’ region of Peru with his Yachay project.

If you like this … Following the opening of Mad Burger and 500 Grados in Lima, in 2021 Pesaque also launched Sapiens, showcasing open-flame techniques with vegetables, seafood, meat and grains. He also owns Suviche, Pacifico and Callao in the US, Italy and Netherlands, respectively, proving his desire to spread the joy of Peruvian cuisine knows no bounds.

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