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Lima, Peru  |  Friday 05 September 2008 22:09  |  | 

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Chala – Restaurant Review

By Melanie Bayly

Although the Bajada de Baños in Barranco is known for its picarones and anticuchos, there are some restaurants which are trying to recover the area by making it more gourmet. One of these restaurants is Chala: a place where you can have a drink and appetizers, or stay for either lunch or dinner. I love this area specially because you can eat and then have a stroll. There is security both private and public so don’t worry about the car.
As you walk towards Chala you can appreciate the typical barranquina house: a couple of wooden steps lead the way to the a small porch with wooden banister, thin iron gates open up to greet you with large windows on each side. Once inside you can have the lounge area with a bar made with glass and wood, a good combination which makes a great first impression. Evn though the decoration is somewhat classic, they have used the combination of red, mustard, brown and beige well. They have also used several textures; the tablecloths have a nice ribbed texture, the chairs are smooth and the booths have a leathery feel to them and are so comfortable that you could fall asleep on them. It is all pulled together by good lighting coming from the large windows, the bar or several lamps.

They have a private room which seats up to 30 people, great for meetings or small gatherings. They also have a Cava at the back of the restaurant where the wines chill out until called for dinner.

At the bar you are greeted by Gino’s friendly smile and delicious pisco cocktails. At one side of the bar there is an unexpected surprise; the pastry area surrounded by glass. You can peek through and see the magic happen.



We sat on the porch and talked to Chef Israel for a bit. Then while he was preparing his specialties, Gino came out and demonstrated his passion for pisco. He brought out the famous Malambo made with tamarind, dried fruits, passion fruit and orange. He takes pride in making his drinks from scratch. He boils the tamarind, stirring constantly and adding the other ingredients at the right time to get a smooth combination of flavors. It has a brownish color, but tastes wonderful. You can taste all the flavors and the tamarind doesn’t overpower anything. It is there in its true essence. He also brought out a drink made with fresh apple juice and passion fruit, a much fresher drink that will appear on the new menu they are working on.

Now it was time to eat. Chef Israel brought out an appetizer called Tapa Andina. Braised yellow potato topped with Jamón huaracino, chopped onions, a bit of aji and hierba buena and garnished with diced banana chips. It will definitely get your appetite going. It is light and fresh the hierba buena gives it a nice flavor. It serves six, but I could have eaten the whole thing. My moth just started watering.

As an entrée we had the Conchitas Sureñas, scallops served over sweet potato puree, with Balsamic vinegar reduction and Ceviche foam. I know it sounds unusual and let me tell you it looks it too, but as soon as you taste it you get a tingly sensation on you tongue. I suggest having a bit with everything on it. It will be a party in your mouth.

Then came a plate with a plastic cover. Make sure to lean in before they uncover it as it has Oak smoke, a delicious smell that embeds itself on the Mero Tumbesino. The grilled fish was served over a slice of quince, accompanied by a sweet potato and huamantanga potato majado topped with a poached egg and garnished with a Jamón Serrano crisp. This was a good sized portion. The majado with the egg yolk was excellent, the fish was good as well and the quince was a good added texture. Israel loves eating the mero’s skin. It has a gelatin like texture, like the fat from the chicharron. I didn’t dare to try it since it’s not my favorite of textures.

After came a dish from the new menu, Codillo de Cerdo with peanut and ají panca sauce, served with a small shrimp salad and a terrine made with sweet potato, bacon, raisin bread and olluco. The codillo was cooked to perfection; the skin was crispy and the meat was soft it slid from the bone. The best way to eat it is dipping the meat in the peanut sauce and adding some of the pureed salsa criolla, a good flavor combination. The terrine was incredibly aromatic and smooth and the salad has a cleansing effect, just made you want another bite of everything over again. It is a large portion; I would not be able to finish it by myself, although I bet my husband would.

The meal was wonderful. I felt it was like comfort food. It just made you feel better after and we weren’t even done yet.

For dessert he brought out a new take on the arroz con leche and mazamorra combo. A mazamorra gelatin shaped like a cannelloni stuffed with arroz con leche served with quince foam and garnished with phyllo sticks. A good dessert, not as sweet as one might expect, with just the right amount of sugar.

The other dessert we had was the Lágrima de Rosas. A rose panna cotta filled with passion fruit served with maraschino cherry granite and a rose reduction. The panna cotta was good; the passion fruit was a good break from the sweetness of the sauce. I’m not a fan of maraschino cherries and therefore did not like the granite. However one of our companions loved it.

A bit about the Chef

Israel Laure was born in Peru but left for Spain when he was 15 with his mother where he finished school. He didn’t know he wanted to become a chef so he began working in the wood industry. After some time he realized he loved working with his hands but not in that area; it felt more like a hobby. He contemplated Art restoration for a time but it was too expensive and the hours did not let you work and study at the same time. This is when the restaurant business looked attractive.

He explained that in Spain the schools teach Restaurant Management and teach you everything from how to wait a table to how to run a kitchen and how to manage a hotel business part and everything. He then specialized in cooking at an important school which had a restaurant where they could practice.

After graduating he worked in several restaurants in Spain and would come back to Lima about twice a year. Every time he came back he saw how much Peru had evolved and always wanted to work here, so on one of his vacation trips he decided to stay.

He worked at a Spanish restaurant and realized after some time he wanted give Peruvian food a try. He has seen so many ingredients and his head was filled with ideas on what to do with them. He then taught at San Ignacio until he started missing the movement of working in a kitchen.

This is when he arrived at Chala, which had been open for about six months. He clicked with owners Carlos Bruce and Jose Antonio Maestre. He felt this was the place where he could develop as a chef and do what he loved: create new plates. The peculiarity of this restaurant is that it has two kitchens, which helps with the decision of working here. The large kitchen, about 15 minutes away, is where food is received and the mise en place is made; where they boil broths for hours, portion the meat, chicken and fish, vegetables are inspected, and ideas are put into work. The kitchen at the restaurant is for finishing the dishes and plating.

He is a very nice person and likes approaching the tables and talking to his customers. You can tell he loves working here and enjoys what he does. He says it doesn’t take expensive ingredients to make wonderful foo;, it is in the way one enjoys eating. Something he makes for himself is a plate of snails, a bit of tomato some herbs, some Spanish chorizo and a couple of lima beans. It’s all it takes to make it wonderful.

He is the type of person who can’t sit still, needs to always be doing something. On his days off he teaches at the UPC, and during the hours the restaurant closes he goes swimming.

You can tell when speaking to him that he is always looking for new things to learn and work with. This is a real Cocina de Autor, you can feel his presence in every dish that comes out from the kitchen. He uses everything he has learnt throughout his life to give the restaurant the quality it deserves.

This is a restaurant you should definitely try. Let Israel stun you with his love for food.

The Facts

Chala

Address: Bajada de Baños 343, Barranco

Phone number: 252-8515

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm; 8:00 pm – 12:00 am
Sunday 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

E- mail: reservas@chala.com.pe

Website: www.chala.com.pe

Parking: Off street

Menu in English: Yes, about 8

Reservation recommended: On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, for special groups as well.

Cards accepted: All major cards.

Business friendly: Yes.

Handicap accessible: Help available

Catering for special dietary needs: Yes.

Full bar: Yes

Outdoor seating/terrace: Yes


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