Lima, Peru  |  Friday 19 March 2010 16:01  |  |  | 


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La Folie

By JJ Harder
Photos by Isabel Guerra

La FolieAfter a year and a half in Lima, I can finally rattle off a short list of art galleries worth visiting: Vértice, Enlace, 80m2, La Galería, Artco and Revolver. The newest addition to the list is a white two-story building just east of the Panamericana on Primavera.  Its huge story-length glass walls peer down on the vehicular chaos below. This new establishment, called La Folie, should become a permanent fixture in Lima’s art world. 

Oh, and also: it’s a restaurant.

Except for the tables and wafting aromas, however, you probably wouldn’t be so sure. La Folie’s décor is the most vanguardista of anyplace in town, definitely in the realm of Malabar and Rafael. Retro magenta chairs surround tables topped with ‘50s La Folie: The most vanguardista of anyplace in townvinyl-covered aquamarine menus. Chandeliers made of silverware illuminate abstract paintings. Ancient radios are fused into walls, bird cages rise pyramidically in front of avian shadows, creating an installation-like feel. Even the bare concrete floors and high ceiling call upon Lucía de la Puente, or even the Guggenheim Bilbao.

But don’t think that La Folie’s look is pretentious: the colors that swirl around the restaurant are bright, vivid and fun. The corner piece that holds sugar packets and straws is an open old school suitcase on a nightstand. Jars filled with Valentine’s Day candies are the finishing touch in rooms that are lively yet chic, charming yet mature. Everything is simple, yet quirky.

La Folie’s menu shows the yin of eccentricity and the yang of comfort as well.La Folie’s menu shows the yin of eccentricity and the yang of comfort as well. As first and foremost a café, its coffee and tea selections are myriad, including all the traditional drinks, yet the limonada de la casa (S/.5.5), a bright green hierba luisa-infused drink, and the chicha morada frappe (S/.5) push the envelope. An ample breakfast section includes the classic French Toast (S/.11.5) and the virtually-unseen-in-Lima Eggs Benedict(S/.14).

On a recent lunch visit we started out with the antipasto platter (S/.40) – a mound of exquisite meats and cheeses served on a lacquered slice of a tree. The goat cheese and prosciutto stood out as the stars of the plate, but the slices of sun-dried tomatoes, juicy Mediterranean olives and perfectly-toasted bread were tasty accompaniments as well.

La Folie’s menu shows the yin of eccentricity and the yang of comfort as well.



La Folie’s menu shows the yin of eccentricity and the yang of comfort as well.To follow, my dining companions and I decided to share a salad.  La Folie offers many (S/.15-22) and we decided to forego the Portobello, the César Langostino Cajun and others for the house-recommended Ensalada de Langostinos Caliente. Although it was probably the best dish we tried, I must say that it was hardly a “salad.” Served in an olla de barro personal, hot sautéed shrimp sat atop succulent herb-tossed potatoes, baby corn and cherry tomatoes. It was absolutely delicious, but I was certainly expecting something lettuce-based.

For our first main we chose the Roast Beef sandwich, a ciabatta roll filled with tender slices of beef (extremely hard to find in Peru, in case you’re new), arugula, tomato and bleu cheese. The tomatoes wereThe Roast Beef sandwich at La Folie sweet and fresh, and the taste of the cheese didn’t overload the sandwich. We also tried the Florentina Wrap – Béchamel, spinach, bacon, onion, parmesan and chicken in a homemade tortilla. The taste of the chicken was outstanding and the crepe-like wrap was just shy of crisp, but the cheese did make for some messy leakage. Other sandwiches and wraps range between 18 and 22 soles. 

Portion sizes at La Folie are not small, so we had to cash out on the idea of multiple desserts, passing up scrumptious-sounding treats (S/.6-18) such as Toblerone Cheesecake and Pecan Pie for the Moulin Rouge Waffle. And we made the right choice. One chocolate waffle and one traditional waffle peeked out from under a heap of mouth-watering strawberries and raspberries, next to two huge scoops of vanilla ice cream, a volcano of whipped cream, a small glass of manjar-like pudding and a thin lattice of chocolate blew me away. The waffles were crisp, the berries were sweet and the ice cream not D’Onofrio-ish at all.  This was probably the best waffle dessert I’ve ever tried, period. Helping matters were the chocolat menthe I ordered to accompany it. Under the traditional cappuccino thirds sat a fourth layer of mint syrup. After mixed, this coffee treat added yet another flavor to our amazing dessert experience. 

Moulin Rouge Waffle at La Folie



La Folie: The most vanguardista of anyplace in townLa Folie menu draws upon culinary influences around the globe to provide such other delights as the Tentación de Almendra mate and the Sandwich Pollo Hindú (S/.22). Yet reasonably-priced empanadas (S/.6) and a set menú (S/.28 – including a maracuyá waffle for dessert!) are also available. When looking at the menu or at the décor you realize you could be anywhere in the world, and yet at the same time there is something unmistakably Peruvian about them. 

La FolieUsually the last part of that sentence would imply dishes that are reaching but not achieving, fusion cuisine that should stick to lomo saltado and extremely low lighting. But at La Folie we can see that a worldly Peruvian has obviously traveled, read, studied and compared, then opened an edgy, refreshing café with ambience and exceptional food. For Italian football games and gelato we have the very Mediterranean GianFranco, for lonche and great brownies we have Sacramento, and for freshly-roasted beans we have Café Tostado. For everything else – brekkie, snacks, a date, wasting the afternoon away reading – we have La Folie.


Add a comment :
1 comments

Guillermo Chirinos says :
14-11-09,04:52:43

I am peruvian and I always look for new places and new ways to enjoy the peruvian food.
I will be there begining January and I am sure I will be pasing by since you have opened my appetite already.
I like very much the quote of being around the world but with an unmistakeable peruvian touch.
Only with this type of approach Peru will keep the lead in the world wide cuisine.
I wish you the best on your succes.



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