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This temple to the wine god Dionisos, is the only restaurant in Lima dedicated to the promotion, dispersion and celebration of the Greek God’s preferred beverage. As you can read in LivinginPeru’s earlier article about Dionisos (click here), the restaurant offers the best variety and quality of wine in Lima, and also has a stunning atmosphere in which you can enjoy a few glasses with friends, colleagues or clients.

However, if there is anything you can overlook in this restaurant with all its focus on wine, it would be the food. And, if you do, you are making a big mistake.

Dionisos is dedicated to the celebration of fine wine and fine dining, says owner Juan Pedro van Hasselt. And, let me simply say that their dedication has paid off. You will be wowed by the presentation of the various dishes that Dionisos offers, as well as the quality of the food, and the excellent service. But, so you don’t just take my word for it, here are a few examples of the delights that we were served.

We started off our lunch with exquisite hot rolls and beautifully presented butter with herbs. Maybe because I was so hungry, or perhaps because the rolls were so good, (I’d say easily number one on my bread list) I would have been content just eating the fresh-out-of-the-oven buns with that creamy salty butter. Luckily for me, that wasn’t the only option on the menu.

My eyes popped open (and I bet yours will too) when we were served our first dish: Grilled Octopus. Perfectly cooked with excellent seasoning, the octopus tasted as good as it looked (and, well, we certainly didn’t get to look at it very long before it was devoured). And, as one could only expect, it was accompanied by a white wine recommended by the chef.

Before I go too far, I must add the Dionisos has an executive lunch menu in which you are treated to excellent food for only S/. 39. This includes a glass of wine (specially chosen to combine with the main dish perfectly), an appetizer, and of course, a main dish. Dionisos has three menus each month, so if you fall in love with the place (as I certainly did), you can go back without arriving at a point of culinary boredom.

As we ate the following dishes, our host, owner Juan Pedro van Hasselt, indulged with the executive menu, and we were left wanting to return for the executive menu the next day. The menu that our eyes were treated to was Steak Carpaccio and Fettucini Alfredo. Mr. van Hasselt was kind enough to let us taste his enticing lunch, and let me say that the Steak Carpaccio itself was worth the S/.39. I was so impressed by the combination of fine meat with the vinegary, salty sauce, which was then accompanied by crunchy toast. The fettucini was smooth, creamy and tasty, but the Steak Carpaccio was by far my favorite.

We continued our tasting adventure with an excellent causa de langostinos. It was excellently combined with a red wine, Cono Sur Pinot Noir. The tones and the body of the wine were the perfect pair for the smooth creamy potatoes, flavored with shrimp and avocado. This causa is not yet featured in their menu, but if you look on their chalk board, it is listed under the chef’s recommendations.

The next dish we were served was a rich lomo saltado with tacu tacu instead of French fries. It was accompanied by huge slices of onions and generous portions of tomatoes. The meat was not served in slices but rather in chunks, and the sauce that accompanied the dish was excellent. My favorite wine of the day accompanied the lomo saltado: Mycas de Limari, a cabernet with lots of body, flavor, and just the right accent with the savory flavors of the meat.

Then, along with the help of the wine god, I was transported to a little place of heaven with the dish Raviolis filled with Aji de Gallina. The raviolis were cooked to al dente perfection, and were covered with a rich, sweet and creamy huacaína sauce. The filling of the raviolis was perfectly cooked, and was a little piece of heaven in my mouth. Just thinking about the exquisite combination of flavors and textures makes my mouth water. I will most definitely be going back for this dish. While there were condiments you could add to the Raviolis, such as parmesean, ají and garlic, I thought the dish was just perfect the way it was. The wine that accompanied this heavenly dish was the Pascual Toso Malbéc

We finished off the dinner with a rich Mousse de Maracuyá, which had a filling of ladyfingers, like in tiramisu. And of course, a delicious cup of cappuccino.

I would highly recommend Dionisos for those of you who are interested in learning more about wine, for those who consider themselves wine connoisseurs, and for those who just want to have an elegant meal. The average price of dinner at Dionisos (including one glass of wine), is on average S/.60. And it is worth every cent.