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Gastronomy

Korean Food in Lima: The Top Four

By JJ Harder

I’ve eaten Korean in Beijing, Washington, Chicago, New York, Paraguay, Yemen and Korea itself, and it has almost always been amazing, principally due to its simplicity: diners are seated at a table with a small grill built into it, they cook the meat themselves and they eat it along with a variety of vegetable accompaniments.  That’s it in a nutshell, but let’s walk through the process and savor every moment.
“Anyang haseyo!”  That’s the greeting you’ll receive when you walk into a real Korean restaurant.  If there’s a sushi bar, you’re in the wrong place.   You should see probably be seeing latticework dividing tables at which many thin, tieless Korean men without facial hair are seated.  Loud toasts may be heard often.  The soju is probably flowing freely, and waiters are kept busy.
Upon being seated you should be given weak tea, heavy metal chopsticks and, if in Lima, a menu that is probably in Korean and Chinese, possibly in Spanish if you’re lucky.  If there are 2-4 of you, you probably won’t want to waste your time perusing: just order Bulgogi.  These are the two fundamental dishes, in my opinion.  Next the waiter will bring a huge platter of small plates (banchan) that are to be treated as appetizers for the uber-hungry and side dishes for those who want to eat them when the meat is ready.  In all the times I have eaten Korean barbecue, I have never received the exact same dishes twice, but you can usually count on a few mainstays: kimchi, a spicy cabbage dish; pajori, a spicy green onion dish; bean sprouts in sesame oil; sweet potato shoots; potato pancakes and more.  My favorite is probably cucumbers covered in a spicy sauce called gojuchang.
After you’ve tried some of the banchan, the meat will come out.  Two classic choices are Dakgalbi (chicken) and Samgeopsal (bacon), but Bulgogi is the big winner.  It is soy and garlic-marinated beef grilled with green onions, mushrooms and noodles.  The waiter will give you a big plate of the mix and a set of tongs and will turn you loose. 

At a Korean restaurant there is no excuse for undercooked meat, since you are the one with the final call.  This is the point at which I recommend having an ice-cold light lager nearby, because the heat can get quite intense near the grill.  The chosen tong-bearer also might want to go extra heavy on the banchan, as once you start grilling you have fewer opportunities to eat than the other diners.  Grilling in a Korean restaurant is a little more demanding than on your backyard Barbie, mostly because the cuts are so thin.  After a few minutes on the fire, your beef should be ready to go.  Make sure to throw some raw garlic on as well, as it adds to the flavor of the meat, and it also goes well with the final product.
As for how to eat this concoction, obviously silverware is out of the question (probably not even available on site), so either grab the meat with your chopsticks and dip in the gojuchang, or rip off a small piece of lettuce (if it isn’t served, just request it), put the beef in it and use your hand.  Don’t worry; it’s kosher and actually encouraged.  I find that the tender beef mixed with some soft mushrooms and crisp lettuce makes a great combination.  Soup and rice should also be part of the package to help give you an array of flavors and textures.  There should be no reason to go home hungry after Korean as well.
Now that you’re hungry, I suppose you want to know where you can find Korean barbecue in Lima.  Korean restaurants obviously don’t abound like their Chinese and Japanese counterparts, but they are there.  I have found four, and here they are in ranking order:
Located on La Paz in Miraflores, Koryo is another example of the Larcomar Corollary: the closer the restaurant to that mall overlooking the ocean, the worse the dining experience.  People at Koryo were very friendly, but the kimchi wasn’t very good (pecatto!) and the portions were meager.  There weren’t as many banchan as usual, and the price was high as well, which is also probably due to the Larcomar Corollary.
Great food.  We were stuffed into a small room, and a really cool thing was that we had the classic Korean buzzer at the table so we could call for the server.

Av. Aviación 3257, San Borja
476-0093


Located in the embassy region of San Isidro on Salvaverry, I still don’t know what to call Arirang besides a “place.” It could be a hotel, an NGO, a community center, a travel agency or just a weird type of restaurant for all I know.  What’s segurísimo is that the food here was amazing.  Be prepared to be overwhelmed by banchan and have your eyes nearly pop out of your head when you see the stacks of meat come out.  Go hungry and reach for soju liberally to ease digestion.

Av. Salaverry 3261, San Isidro
264-1069
The champion of the Korean restaurants in town, Chinni Chinni might give you difficulties, but only in trying to find it: on a residential side street in San Borja in what appears to be a house, the only sign that Chinni Chinni is in fact a restaurant is the small Korean flag in the upper window.  And just like at the cool bars in L.A., you have to knock and be let in.  Inside you’ll find the best marinated beef, the tastiest kimchi and hopefully a lot of exuberant dining Korean businessmen.
Obviously Korean food in Peru isn’t quite as fashionable as Japanese or Italian, but don’t be tricked into thinking that Korean isn’t big.  Worldwide it is huge and is growing more and more every day.  There’s even a famous lonchera (not lunch box, Peruvvies, but rather a big truck with a kitchen in it) that serves Korean/Mexican tacos in southern California, with long lines every night.  Koreans are everywhere, which means their food is everywhere, and their nation is already prosperous and continuing to grow richer every year, so more Koreans travel and spread their cuisine even more.  Peru shouldn’t cast Korean aside as a fringe food for a fewer textile salesmen; Korea is a model for Peru, and not just vis-à-vis food.


Add a comment :
6 comments

Richard says :
21-09-09,08:29:28

Even harder to find when you do not give the addresses.

Walter says :
23-09-09,02:22:19

It really would be great to have the address to these places....

Mike23 says :
23-09-09,03:21:03

In general your post is thorough but long. Also you needent 'tell' your reader to pay attention to Korean food. You should rely on your articulate descriptions of what Korean food is, and how it spread in order to let people draw their own conclusion.

I would very much like to try some of these resraunts though, please post addresses!

Seungjun Oh says :
24-09-09,01:26:12

Let me help you, commentators

1) "No Da Gi" is in Aviacion 32, San Borja Sur 

2) "Arirang" is ... right across the Swiss Embassy in San Isidro (hopefully it helps)

any questions for choosing menu, mail me.
I would be appreciated to recommend korean food.

Jane Lee says :
18-12-09,07:29:44

Hey..
Great info..
Being a korean myself and being here in lima I am craving for my native food
I´m planning to go to Chini Chini with my family and I cannot wait
Hope your review is true !! lol

rob says :
20-12-09,04:14:55

Looking forward to trying these places. i have lived in South Korea 3 years and found that korean food is normally not that great overseas. Im looking forward to trying the 2 best places you recommended.

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