[Restaurant Review] Kjolle - Excellent Dining Experience

Lima is home to many great fine dining restaurants, such as Central, Maido, and Kjolle; all three restaurants are highly ranked in the list of the World's Best Restaurants.

I had the privilege to dine at Central, and Kjolle in my trip. While Central is rated higher on the list of the World's Best Restaurants, I enjoyed Kjolle more.

Fun fact: Kjolle is the name of a yellow flower that grows in the Andean region.

The Food

I had the Seven of Biodiversity tasting menu for lunch at Kjolle. They do serve other menus so if you prefer something else, or if you have dietary restrictions, be sure to let them know when you make the reservation.

Bread was served as the first course (Roots and Kjolle), and it was not to my liking. The bread was tough, slightly doughy, and did not taste like much. The butter that accompanied the bread was great; the butter was smooth and rich. The other sauce was even better; it was tangy with just the faintest hint of spice. Both spreads brought a great depth of flavour to the bread, which was rather bland.

The next course was the Corvina and Clams. Can we pause for a moment and admire how beautiful this dish looks?

This dish is Kjolle's take on a ceviche. The fish was fresh, and what really elevated the dish for me were the garnishes. The flowers add so much colour to the dish, and even though you can't spot the fried quinoa, and fried garlic in the photo, they provide a huge textural, and taste contrast to the fish. Perhaps I should pair fried garlic with my sashimi next time!

'Many Tubers' was served next, and there's two parts to this dish. The first part consists of a simple salad made from various tuber plants. The second part of the dish has the tubers served in a thin and crispy pastry shell, resembling 'Kueh Pie Tee' in peranakan cuisine.

'Scallops and Tarwi' was served next. The marinated scallops in chili was surprisingly good; I was worried that the chili sauce would overwhelm the freshness of the scallop, but the sauce paired well with the scallop. The second part of the dish was great too, with the reduction of clams, scallop, and soy sauce tasting like chawanmushi.

A complimentary drink of Maca was served next. The drink was said to help with digestion, and it tastes like a mix of hawthorn and lemonade. The drink was a nice change from the previous courses and made me excited for subsequent courses.

The 'Lobster' was served next, paired with a herbs and vegetables tempura. The lobster was fresh, and tender; it was evident that the lobster was well-cooked. The crab and coconut sauce served with the lobster was thick and creamy, with a strong taste of crab. If you love seafood, you will love this dish. The tempura served with the lobster was excellent; the whole tempura was held together with the slightest amount of batter, and the strong, yet refreshing smell of herbs highlighted the contrast with the rich-tasting, but fresh lobster. This was my favourite dish on the menu.

The 'Pork Belly' was fascinating; with the three dishes highlighting the pork belly in different ways.

The crispy pork belly resembles chinese roasted pork belly, but the texture was so different from that of the usual chinese roasted pork belly. I can't say I'm a fan of the crispy pork belly, as the fats do not have the melt in your mouth texture that I'm looking out for, but instead, the fats stick onto the meat and does not split from the meat easily. The skin wasn't crispy enough for my liking too.

The lard noodles were much better; it tasted like mee rebus, but with lard. The sauce was very rich, almost too rich when mixed in with the lard.

The cured pork belly was the most refreshing dish of the trio. It feels strange to say that a pork belly dish was refreshing, but the strong smell of herbs coming from the marinated leaf wrapped around the cured pork belly, together with the garnishes, made this dish the least sinful of the trio.

The Theobromas Mater served to highlight the versatility of cacao, with different tastes and textures in each dish.

The Venue

Kjolle is located in the same building as Central, occupying level 2 of the building. The building is set in a garden, and diners are free to explore the garden, and understand the various herbs used.

The interior of the restaurant is beautiful. With plenty of sunlight shining through, a simple open kitchen, and plain dining tables, it felt like I was dining at a park.

Conclusion

No restaurant is perfect, but Kjolle sets the bar high, and is almost perfect.

The restaurant was thoughtfully designed, service was warm, and the food was great. If you plan to visit Lima, be sure to reserve a table at Kjolle. You will enjoy it!

Disclosure: This post is not sponsored.

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