On Thursday the team of Traveling and Living in Peru attended the pre-opening of the Gochiso Nikkei festival. We sampled 7 different dishes and 2 desserts. We hit 5 of the areas: Nikkei Contemporaneo, Food Truck, Nuevos Talentos, Postres and Bar.
[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”652″ gal_title=”Gochiso Peru 2019″]As you enter the premises of Gochiso, make sure you receive the pamphlet which contains a list of all of the participating restaurants with their dishes and prices. There are well over 100 food items available ranging in price from 5 to 25 soles. The price to enter the festival is 19 soles, but senior citizens and children age 12 and under do not need to pay to enter. The map inside will guide you to all of the areas as well. I found the layout of the festival quite organized and easy to navigate. Before you proceed to the food stands, you must first purchase your points at one of the three cashier stands. Once you purchase your points you will be given your receipt with a barcode. You must present this bar coded receipt at each food stand so they can scan it before you receive your food. Inside this pamphlet, you will also find several interesting articles as well.
We first ventured into the Nuevos Talentos area to sample dishes from Enkai, Maketto and Shoyu. The new talent area at Gochiso also has a food stand for the restaurant Tomo, which we did not have the chance to visit.
First up we sampled the Kani Patacón (S/. 14) at Enkai. This dish was served with two crispy twice-fried plantain slices topped off with shredded imitation crab, avocado slices, the Japanese spice, togarashi, and sliced green onions all on a bed of spiralized carrots. We loved the textures and flavors. Enkai will also be offering their Causa Masaki during the festival. I am looking forward to our official visit to Enkai next week since I have heard only rave reviews about this restaurant.
Next up was the Ebi Korokke (S/. 15) from Maketto. This was an incredible sandwich prepared with chopped shrimp and calamari which was formed into a patty and fried and served on a min pao style bun along with Asian-style mayonnaise, a pickled criollo sauce and a dab of a cilantro cream. This was rich and decadent and it left us wanting more. Maketto is also offering a gyoza dish as well at their stand. Traveling and Living in Peru has previously dined at Maketto and I am a “regular” at this restaurant. I dine there several times per month.
One of our surprise dishes was the Burroll Chalaco (S/. 10) from the restaurant Shoyu. We enjoyed this version of a Nikkei-style burrito filled with fish of the day, avocado, sweet potato, fried calamari, chalaquita (mixture of finely diced onion, tomato and spicy peppers), lettuce, leche de tigre and rice all rolled up like a burrito in a large sheet of nori seaweed. It was quite filling and a table favorite. We also sampled Shoyu’s Okonomiyaki – Pizza Japonesa (S/. 14).
We took a break from eating and decided to quench our thirst with a few beverages from the bar, which included the Chilcano Nikkei, the Dragon Mule and the Natsumi (all were 16 soles). They were refreshing but average. Also available in the bar are Japanese beers, a variety of sakes and a couple of Japanese whiskeys. Non-alcoholic options available are bottled water, soda, coffee and mugicha (the wonderful Japanese beverage prepared with a cold roasted barley tea and lime).
After our beverages, we decided to sample food at the two food trucks. First up was the Umami Burger (S/. 14) available at the Baco y Vaca Anticuching food truck. This Angus beef burger was grilled perfectly and was topped off with a shiitake mushroom sauce, kombu (edible Japanese kelp) and cabbage. The burger was served on a bun made with sweet potato. This burger could become an addiction. I will definitely order this again when I return to Gochiso this weekend.
We ordered the Poke Bowl (S/. 16) at the Hama food truck. The serving size was very decent and included sushi rice, marinated salmon, avocado, mixed lettuces, slices of white onion, carrots, fried wonton slices, white and black sesame seeds, and a wonderful acevichado dressing. This was an excellent Poke bowl version.
The last two dishes we sampled were from the Nikkei Contemporaneo area. There are five restaurants in this section which include Yume, Sushi Pop, Tzuru, Osaka and Bao. Traveling and Living in Peru has visited all 5 of these restaurants previously. I eat often at Bao. Osaka and Tzuru are favorites as well, but I do not eat there as often as I would like. We decided to order the Panceta Kakuni Donburi (S/. 20) from Tzuru. The pork belly was slow cooked, which yielded an extremely tender texture, and glazed. The pork was accompanied by smoked greens, shoyu tamago (the beloved Japanese soy sauce hard-boiled egg), sesame seeds and white rice. This was a generous portion and highly enjoyable. Besides this dish, Tzuru also offers their Nikuman Crocante.
The rib lover in me could not resist the Pisco Ribs (S/. 20) available at Osaka. These pork ribs were lightly glazed along with a bit of citrus honey and accented with coriander and cacao nibs. They had the perfect ratio of meat with a bit of fat. The ribs were succulent, loaded with flavor and exquisite. The ribs were accompanied by large pieces of orange-glazed sweet potato. Another table favorite. Osaka offers two other nigiri sushi dishes at their stand as well.
It was time for some desserts, and we began with the paletas from Kuru Kuru. They offer 9 different paleta options. Basically, paletas are fruit filled frozen bars on a stick. We ordered the Paleta de Matcha con Chocolate and the Paleta de Fresa con Crema de Avellanas. All of their paletas cost 8 soles. I really enjoyed them because they contain 100% fruit, have no preservatives or artificial colors and are low in sugar.
One of the few places I crave desserts is at Yogashi Patisserie. Their desserts are not just visually stunning to the eyes, but delicious. Only quality, high-end ingredients are used in their preparation. We sampled the Choco Dome (S/. 12) and the Valentin (S/. 14). The chocolate dome was filled with a 62% Peruvian chocolate mousse with a cookie base. The valentine-shaped dessert was filled with white chocolate mousse as well as raspberry. I really love the ultra-shiny exteriors of both of these desserts. Yogashi offers 3 other dessert options. I ended up buying these other desserts to share at home.
My very last stop was at El Taller Patisserie where I could not resist buying a few of their macaron cookies. All of their cookies are repaired with a base of almond flour and filled with different flavors of ganache. I bought the macarons filled with pisco, sal de maras, sesame seed, and raspberry.
I am definitely planning on returning this weekend to sample food from the Ceviche Nikkei, Saltados, Street Food, Sopas, Sushi Bar, and Brasas areas which we missed during our first visit.
Besides the wonderful food, desserts and beverages you will find plenty of stands selling jewelry, Japanese gadgets, candies, knives, cars, and much more. There are also a couple of areas geared towards children The large stage on the premises will also feature different live bands as well as other presentations.
Bring your appetite, friends and family and enjoy this wonderful festival.
Gochiso Peru Festival
Location: Domos Art on Costa Verde (San Miguel)
Dates: Friday, May 3rd, Saturday, May 4th and Sunday, May 5th
Price: 19 soles
Hours: Friday/Saturday: 12:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sunday: 12:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Parking: Free parking (limited)