Tomo, a small and fairly new nikkei restaurant in Surco is doing quite well in spite of their short existence and little visibility, since it’s tucked between a gas station and apartment complex. Word of mouth seems to be the key to why customers come and come again, and we were eager to find out what all this was about.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”633″ gal_title=”Tomo”]Chefs and owners
Tomo means friends in Japanese and, in fact, this restaurant was opened by Francisco Sime and Jeremy Lopez, who met while working in Edo. Together they come with a wealth of experience after having worked in restaurants like Edo, Maido, and Lima Sheraton, as well as abroad and on cruise ships. These two friends decided last year to venture in opening up their own place so that they could let their imaginations flow. They put together their savings, loans, energy and experience, and it is working.
The Decor
The décor is basic, but what matters is the food, and that the best quality products are served while respecting the environment, Francisco told us. The menu is short and apparently in constant change. At Tomo, you will find the traditional makis, nigiris and ramen, and some other special dishes that we were about to discover.
The Food
We started with an Octopus and Sea-urchin Gunkan (s./19), two gunkans (a type of sushi with a rice base) filled with an octopus and sea urchin ceviche, garlic, chinese onions, shichimi (a Japanese spice mix), and rolled in black nori (Japanese algae). They were nice.
We then tried three nigiris starting with the Nigiri Tomo (s./18), three pieces of salmon, ebi furai, negi (Japanese onion), parrillera sauce, and topped with a creamy cheese and a cocona-garlic aioli. They were good and we particularly enjoyed their touch of spiciness. We also had the Nirigiri Carretillero (s./18), three pieces of fresh salmon, a yellow creamy sauce, shizo (green Japanese onions), Maras salt and chili, and the Kawa Nigiri (s./19) with fortuno fish, octopus, crab, kawa (salmon skin), chalaquita and a creamy mayonnaise sauce. I found these two last ones quite similar to each other, and the mayonnaise sauce repeating itself way too often.
What is a Japanese outlet without makis? We tried the Maki Jeremy (s./25), ten units of ebi furai, salmon, creamy cheese, avocado, and spicy garlic. They came with an anguila sauce and were enjoyable. You can also ask for five units if you want to try other dishes. We also sampled their Sanguchitos con chicharrón de pescado (s./20), two soft buns with deep fried fortuno fish, tartar home sauce, red onions and carrots which were okay.
Then came the Oyster and sea-urchin (s./22 per unit), a dish that you do not easily find around Lima. The oysters come from the northern province of Tumbes while the sea-urchin from the southern port of Marcona, we were told. This sea delicacy is served in its natural state and with its own natural juices along with some chili sauce. I confess I am no big fan of oysters or sea-urchin, but Carsten did enjoy it.
I was excited when razor clams were brought to our table as I am a fan of them. The Pedro Navaja (s./35) consists of six razor clams with ceviche, shichimi togarashi (a Japanese spice mix), negi (Japanese onion), shizo (Japanese basil), and chili. The razor clams were very fresh, so fresh that one of them even wiggled. My colleagues enjoyed them, me not so much.
What I enjoyed the most were the last two dishes that came our way. One of them was a bowl of Ramen (s./26), a pork, black hen and meat broth cooked for thirty hours with wonderful al dente noodles, spinach, Chinese beans, a boiled egg and nori. I loved this ramen and no wonder it is the second most popular dish in Tomo. The broth was full of flavor and the noodles were awesome. I did not stop till I saw the bottom of the bowl.
The other dish that we all thought was fantastic was the Sea urchin Rice (s./35). This was a wonderful yellow creamy rice, similar to a risotto in terms of its presentation, and it had loche pumpkin, smoked yellow chili, sea urchin paste, calamari, octopus, an onion chalaquita (a citric mix), and turnips. Apparently, this is the most popular dish in Tomo and I can see why. This well-accomplished dish easily serves two people.
Our visit started with no big surprises, but it certainly ended well. We wish the best to these two young chefs.
Tomo
Av Benavides 4239
Telf. 765 8457
Opening hours – Tuesday to Saturday – 12.30 -4, 7 – 11 pm, Sunday 12.30 -4, 7 – 10
Menu
Makis – s./ 14 (5 units), s./ 25 (10 units)
Nigiri – s./18
Ramen – s./26
Refreshments – s./5-6
Beers – s./9 -12
