Restaurant review: Dubai’s Ceviche serves up authentic Peruvian food at affordable prices

Ceviche has opted for a more casual dining approach and it is proving to be a smart move.

Peruvian casual dining restaurant Ceviche located at DIFC. Courtesy Ceviche

There may be no better name for a Peruvian restaurant than Ceviche – the dish for which the country is so well known.

When this spot opened in April in DIFC, it joined a growing number of Peruvian restaurants crowding Dubai’s culinary scene. We already have Totora, Garden, Inka, Coya, Mayta and others I am sure I am missing. All will set you back Dh500 or more for a meal for two people.

But Ceviche, like Peruvian restaurant Pollo Pollo in Umm Suqeim, has opted for a more casual dining approach – and it is proven to be a smart move.

Head chef Alberto Gonzales believes Peruvian food is best eaten from street carts and small restaurants – not delicately plated on fine porcelain flanked by five or six pieces of cutlery.

“True Peruvian food comes from streets – from small corner places, tiny shops and hidden places – this is where the soul and heart of Peruvian food lies,” he says.

Though Ceviche is in the upscale DIFC district, it sticks to its roots, providing authentic cuisine at an affordable price.

The restaurant is small (it can seat 50) and cosy, tucked in the back of the first level of Emirates Financial Tower. The simple, dark wooden tables are paired with neutral, fabric chairs. Tapestries with Peruvian-inspired prints line the walls.

Our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable and easily answered any questions we had.

We started with the ceviche classico, which includes soft white fish, lime, chilli, slivered red onions, chunks of sweet potato and Peruvian corn (choclo, which are unpopped kernels that are starchy but not sweet). I thought this ceviche was too acidic at first bite – but then I scooped some up with the sweet potato. The potato’s sweetness perfectly balanced the acidic fish.

Ceviche’s causa limeña is a fun twist on this iconic layered potato dish. The chilled, smashed potatoes come mixed with a tangy chilli cream and rolled up like a sushi roll around avocado, topped with small shrimp. There’s a chilli sauce and olive sauce on top, but the latter was too strong for my liking. A fun presentation of this classic dish, it is not the most exotic Peru has to offer but worth a try just to say you’ve had it.

My favourite dish of the day was a well-executed arroz con mariscos (rice with seafood – think Peruvian paella). The meaty rice has a pleasant, chewy texture and the dish comes packed with seafood – shrimp, squid and mussels in every bite. Green peas, sliced red onion and capsicums add texture and flavour. The portion is just big enough to finish without feeling like you overate.

We liked the signature lomo saltado, too – a beef stir-fry with onions, soy sauce, tomatoes and yellow peppers. Served with a handful of thick-cut fries, this is a rich, hearty dish that does not disappoint.

The desserts are less impressive but do offer unique tastes to end the meal. We tried an authentic taste of Peru with the semisfera de lucuma. Lucuma is a popular fruit in Peru. Dry, not juicy, when eaten raw, it is often used in milk shakes and ice cream.

At Ceviche, it is made into a tasty, granular ice cream that is not overly sweet (which is a good thing), and has a flavour reminiscent of raw cookie dough. Covered in a thin, hard layer of dark chocolate, this was our favourite of the two desserts we tried.

The other one – suspiro à la limena (a caramel meringue parfait) – comes in a martini glass. The waiter burnt the meringue with a blowtorch in front of us, which makes for fun viewing. It is creamy and smooth but incredibly sweet – a sugar overdose that was simply too much for us. We didn’t finish it.

With easy-to-digest prices, Ceviche is a welcome addition not only to the Peruvian restaurants flooding the country, but also to DIFC. The location lacks ambience, but I won’t be surprised if it becomes a favourite haunt for discerning business types, who don’t want to settle for high-priced, mediocre food.

• Our meal for two at Ceviche cost Dh240. Reviewed meals are paid for by The National and conducted incognito