Central was ranked No. 1 in The World’s Best Restaurant 2023 list. Getting a table at Central isn’t easy but neither is it impossible. I had added myself to a waitlist a couple weeks prior to arriving in Lima and a few days before my preferred date I got a WhatsApp message saying I had secured myself a spot at their communal table.
“Communal Table” evoked in me the dread of socializing, which I wasn’t in the mood to do, but as it turned out Central’s communal table is just a large table with amply spaced-out seats that make it just about uncomfortable to socialize. Luckily for me I was also at a corner spot with no-one sitting across or next to me!
If you eat at “Modern American” or French- or Italian-inflected restaurants like The Modern in New York, Brae in in Australia or Jaan in Singapore – all of which I really love – you notice immense creativity and small differences and a lot of common themes: good ingredients, typically local, and some local inflection, weaved into a nice little story.
Everything about Central is different: yes it’s high quality, local ingredients, made with technique, but it’s also a living lab and experiment for the extremely diverse Pervuvian ecosystem. For that reason there are many dishes at Central that are at least very interesting and not all of them end up being conceived for flavor alone, but I believe Central’s success lies in striking the same balance between experimentation and taste that Noma struck.
Amazonian Savanna: Aguaje, Yacon, Hibiscus
Dry Valley: Shrimp, Loche Squash, Avocado
I opted for the non-alcoholic beverage pairing, which I really enjoyed. None of them were too sweet, and they were all creative and interesting, and paired well with the food. What I did not like was the one wine I chose. If you get the non-alcoholic pairing I wouldn’t recommend supplementing it with wines from the menu because to me the flavors clashed too much with either other as well as the food.
Extreme Altitude: Corn, kiwicha, and sweet potato leaves
Warm Sea Current: Grouper, Razor Clams, Vongole
Blue Green Ocean: Scallops, Yuyo seaweed, Cucumber
Amazonian Connection: Cecina, Arapaima, Cassava
Sea Brain Algae: Octopus, Sea Lettuce, Codium
Yuyo seaweed – Chondracanthus chamissoi – is an edible seaweed in the waters in Peru.
Native Potato
Pacu
Amazonian Water: Pacu, Watermelon, Amazonian Nut
Pacu is a freshwater fish related to piranhas.
Mil Centro: Native Potato, Chaco, High Altitude Leaves
Chaco is a kind of edible clay.
Pork Jowl, Arracacha, Broccoli
Arracacha is a an Andean root vegetable. The sweetness, starchiness and the textures from the layered Arracacha was a nice contrast to the sweet-salty, soft pork jowl.
Sacred Valley: Chirimoya, Andean Verbena, Cauliflower
It’s rare to have great coffee at the “world’s best restaurants”, but Central exceeded my expectations! They even used beans roasted locally a few blocks down at Ciclos Café.
Peru is home to home an heirloom varietal of cacao native to Cuzco called Chuncho. And the dessert consisted of the cacao plant in various forms, including the mucilage (or pulp). This was a fantastic ending to a meal that was as educational as it was tasty and exciting.
Central is not a place to come to for a “nice meal”. It’s an experience.
Central is located in Lima’s Barranco neighborhood at Av. Pedro de Osma 301, Barranco 15063, Peru. Central isn’t cheap, and my meal which included the tasting menu, non-alcoholic beverage pairing and a glass of wine was around $650.