It was my birthday, and my brother was pre-disposed to indulging me. La Mar by Gastón Acurio has always been one of my favorites restaurants in Miami, but I had not been there in a while. It was so pleasant to sit right next to the ocean on a breezy Saturday afternoon. It felt a little bit like heaven.

We started with the Chicha Morada while basking in the gentle sun and inhaling the scent of the sea, it was very refreshing and cooling.

Then came the Cebiche Sampler – three types of cebiche (Chifa, Barrio, and Clasico ) that were all divine, even though I did have a favorite, the Chifa.

• The Clasico – fluke, cilantro, ají limo pepper, red onions, choclo, classic leche de tigre
• The Chifa – salmon, peanuts, ginger, wonton strips, cilantro, pickled vegetables, sesame leche de tigre
• The Barrio – catch of the day, shrimp, octopus, crispy calamari, rocoto pepper leche de tigre

We had the Causa Tasting called La Chalanita – causa tasting of two nikkei, two crab, and two salad causas served in a hand-carved traditional fisherman’s boat

• Nikkei – aji amarillo pepper causa, salmon tartare, avocado, rocoto pepper sauce, cucumbers, ikura, nori
• Crab – beet causa, blue crab, tobiko, avocado, huancaína sauce, cherry tomatoes, quail egg
• Salad – aji amarillo pepper causa, sunchokes, beets, asparagus, avocado, huancaína sauce

The little one had something different this time, not the usual chicken nuggets; she got the Peruvian KFC – crispy chicken thighs, Peruvian and Korean confit chiles, sesame, scallions. This dish I did not get to taste, but I guess that it was good as it disappeared in no time.

The Lomo Saltado was out of this world – stir fried tenderloin, red onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, cilantro, thick cut fried potato wedges, rice with choclo. The meat was chunky yet tender, and all the ingredients came together like a good marriage.

This was the first time that I tried Chaufa Aeropuerto – Chinese sausage, roasted pork, quinoa, pan fried rice, shrimp omelet, nikkei sauce, pickled salad. The presentation was very impressive: the rice was on the bottom, covered by the shrimp omelet and topped with the pickled salad, green onions, and sesame seeds. I think that you were supposed to mix it all up, but I left it as it was, eating it in layers, and it was just exquisite.

The dessert was also unusual. It was called “El Chocolate En Texturas” (Chocolate in textures), and it looked like a mess on the plate, in a good way – it was made with chocolate brownie textures, foam, ice cream with 60% Peruvian chocolate, crystallized manjar drops.

La Mar by Gastón Acurio is a restaurant that is dear to my heart. The service was exceptional, the food was excellent and the place itself – pretty like a picture. I hope that one day, I will be able to meet the Chef, Diego Oka, the magician who makes little miracles on the dishes that he presents to his guests daily.

La Mar by Gastón Acurio

500 Brickell Key Drive

Miami, FL 33131

305.913.8288

http://www.mandarinoriental.com/miami/fine-dining/la-mar-by-gaston-acurio/