Dubai Restaurant Week: what you’ll get at Mayta by Jaime Pesaque

Tres Leches. Courtesy Mayta by Jaime Pesaque

Mayta by Jaime Pesaque, the trendy Peruvian restaurant tucked inside DIFC, is putting its best food forward during Dubai Restaurant Week. The three-course menu includes salmon ceviche, a choice of mariscos or lomo saltado, and tres leches for dessert.

The thin slices of salmon in the ceviche are combined with ginger, soy sauce, crispy wontons, black and white sesame seeds, scallions and peanuts, which add a textural crunch. It’s bright and refreshing and a tasty start to the meal. We tried both mains and they’re equally delicious.

The mariscos comes with tender, charred octopus, two big prawns, squid, roasted potatoes and asparagus. It’s a hearty mix of seafood and starch and I love every bite. The aji chimichurri sauce it comes with boosts the flavour and I end up dipping everything — including forkfuls of the second main — into that moreish sauce.

Lomo saltado is a popular Peruvian stir-fry. Mayta’s comes with rich, tender beef tenderloin with perfectly charred cherry tomatoes and red onions, soy-oyster sauce and a heap of chips. A tasty combination.

Desserts too often fall short, in my opinion, but the tres leches at Mayta hold its own against those mouthwatering mains. The simple sponge cake arrives swimming in a creamy pool of three milks — heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. It’s served with sour ice cream that has a hint of lime zest — just the right amount of acidity to perfectly balance the sweetness. Save room for this sweet ending.

Mayta by Jaime Pesaque is one of 15 restaurants serving special menus for just Dh199 per person during Dubai Restaurant Week. There are two seatings nightly — 7.30pm and 9.30pm — through March 4. To book, visit www.roundmenu.com/dubai/restaurant-week