As foodies by heart, Filipinos love to eat and try different cuisines from other countries. Nowadays, we no longer have to travel overseas to taste and experience their culinary offers. Restaurants have become diverse in offering different cuisines including Mediterranean, Italian, and Mexican.

One hip restaurant that offers great food from the other side of the world is Cocina Peruvia. It’s located at The Podium in Ortigas Center in Mandaluyong, serving authentic Peruvian comfort food that’s perfect to dig in any time of the day. Cocina Peruvia also offers alcoholic drinks for those who just love to chill and unwind after a long day.

Here’s a list of must-tries to get you started with Peruvian cuisine:

Start your gastronomic adventure with a bowl of mixed greens composed of lolla rosa lettuce, arugula, and edamame. It comes with quinoa married with homemade ricotta cheese, aji vinaigrette, olives, and tomatoes.

Also called as Beef Saltado, this Peruvian dish is similar to our very own Bistek Tagalog. Saltado literally means beef in Spanish, so it’s composed of sumptuous beef tenderloin, onions, tomatoes, and fried potatoes on the side. Lomo Saltado is also available in bigger serving for sharing priced at PHP1,190 (Grande).

For pasta lovers, Cocina Peruvia’s seafood carbonara won’t disappoint. It’s served in a generous amount of linguine with shrimp, squid, mussels, butter, garlic, all cooked in cream sauce and parmesan with a dash of aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chili).

FUN FACT: Aji means “chili pepper and amarillo means “yellow” in Spanish. Aji amarillo is considered part of the Peruvian "holy trinity" when it comes to their cuisine, along with garlic and red onion.

If you’re looking for heavyweight dishes, Parrilla Platter is the real deal as it is loaded with grilled chicken, pork belly, and salmon that’s marinated in Aji panca (Peruvian red pepper) for that robust smokey flavor. It is served with French beans and patacones (sliced banana fritters) on the side, with chimichurri and aji mango barbecue sauce.

FUN FACT: Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce used both in cooking and as a table condiment for grilled meat in Latin America. It’s made of parsley, mint, cilantro, mustard, chili flakes, olive oil, and white wine vinegar.

We all know that a satisfying heavy lunch or dinner without complete with rice! Here’s a bowl of chorizo rice with a generous amount of chorizo bits and garlic.

Finally, give yourself an extra treat with this decadent Dark Choco Pudding. It’s a light dessert that’s not too sweet which makes it irresistible! This creamy concoction is composed of dark chocolate, topped with mint, cherry, and laced with dark chocolate flakes.

For the fun part, try Cocina Peruvia’s best-selling Pisco Sour! It highlights the taste of Peruvian sour in 30ml distilled Peruvian white brandy, mixed with a 1-piece white egg, 30 ml lime juice, 30ml sugar syrup, and a drop of Angostura bitter.

Cocina Peruvia has also a branch at Vertis North Mall in Quezon City. For inquiries, visit Cocina Peruvia's Facebook page.

To get updates, log in to LoopMe Philippines and follow Cocina Peruvia.

Photos by Angelique Borja.