An incredible dining occasion at Greene's inspired by modern Peruvian cuisine. Rising young chef Jonathan introduced us to his country's food.

Chef Jonathan 

Incredible dining occasion at Greene's, inspired by modern Peruvian cuisine.

Rising young chef Jonathan introduced us to his country's food.

Pisco, more like a brandy than a whiskey (because it is made from grapes), is the spirit of South America’s wine regions. We got introduced to it at last week’s amazing Peruvian Food evening in Greene’s where our chef was none other than Jonathan Ordonez, a Peruvian himself and whose restaurant in Madrid, Paschi (based on the cuisine of his country), is proving to be quite a hit for the young chef. 

At Greene’s, Jonathan was joined by their Executive Head Chef Nicolas Alegre and they crafted an incredible evening inspired by modern Peruvian cuisine.

We had our first taste of the Pisco in the welcome cocktail and the last at the end of a rather special evening with some Pisco jelly, a rather, livelier jelly than usual! In between, we had nibbles and plates of outstanding food, colourful and flavourful. And that includes even the butter that came with the bread, a delicious blend of coriander, lime, ginger and butter of course!

Chef Nicolas

Before that, we had a selection of amuse-bouches and lots of fun with the two chefs. The first one that I sampled was the Razor Clams with Leche de Tigre Chifera; we were up and running as that mouthful inspired confidence for the evening.

Perhaps the most eye-catching early snack was the Bloody Mary with Pisco Sorbet, especially as it was cooled by a spray of icy nitro not that it cooled its flavours! Other bites we enjoyed were Stirie-fry Wagyu with Potato Espuma, Amazonian Crist and Andes Mountain Range.

There was no rush here and after the opening selection,m we were guided to our tables where selecting the wines was the first bite on the agenda. Greene’s have quite a list but I made it simpler by staying in South America,m beginning with an outstanding TerraMater Sauvignon Blanc from the Maipa Valley in Chile and ending with a superb Domaine Bousquet Malbec from Argentina. Nothing Peruvian on the list!

Starters

Potato Causa (with avocado and shrimp). 
Lovely starter with delicate texture and flavour

Smoke Hot Ceviche with yellow Peruvian green rice.
I've never had sea bass that tasted as well as this gem.
No wonder the ceviche is a hit at his restaurant in Madrid.

Mains

A superb piece of cod served with Northern Peruvian Green Rice.
The rice, by the way, is not green, but the name comes
from the coriander that is blended with it.
Coriander seems to be a favourite of the chefs here
 and popped up a few times

Peruvian Lamb Huatia with vegetables. 
Think slow-cooked in a closed pot. The result is
roughly similar to beef featherblade or Irish stew.
They use the neck of lamb and its own jus.
Tender and delicious, great Malbec match.

Sweet

Chocolate and Stout (with Lucuma gel and chocolate powder)
 in a fog of cold nitro that really enhanced the dessert!
The stout, by the way, was the local favourite Beamish!

More Pisco at the end, the jelly topped by flowers.

From a favourite table!