Preview of El Mercado Tunqui Yesterday Aracari had the fantastic opportunity to have a sneak preview of Cusco's latest boutique hotel, El Mercado Tunqui. Although they are still finishing a few details, I was thrilled to find out that the hotel exceeded all our expectations... not bad considering our expectations are pretty high in the first place! Following our blog article last month (which, admittedly, we lifted from a press release), we were eager to see the hotel with our own eyes. In particular we wanted to know how the concept of a marketplace has been handled, and whether the hotel lived up to the billing of Cusco's newest Boutique hotel. Finally, we were clamouring to know how the hotel stands up when compared to other hotels in the same category. I'm very pleased to say, after my visit, that El Mercado Tunqui succeeds on all counts. The 27 rooms are beautifully decorated, many of these have a view of the city. Apart from having a more ample size, the 2 suites and the 5 junior suites differ from the 20 standard rooms in that they all have their own bathtub and fireplace. All the rooms have feather pillows and 400 thread count cotton sheets (if you're allergic to feathers synthetic pillow can be provided). Amenities include a coffee machine as well as a selection of mate teas. The walls and floors of the bedrooms are all heated creating a perfect temperature. Internet wifi is strong all over the hotel as the have multiple routers and a router in every room. There is an elevator to access the upper floors. The brakfast room is incredible! It is open with service all day and is very comfortable, it has one of the most beautiful atmospheres that I have seen in a hotel
Preview of El Mercado Tunqui Yesterday Aracari had the fantastic opportunity to have a sneak preview of Cusco’s latest boutique hotel, El Mercado Tunqui. Although they are still finishing a few details, I was thrilled to find out that the hotel exceeded all our expectations… not bad considering our expectations…
Discover this peruvian restaurants. Delicious! Peruvian food is on the march! As recently reported in UK newspaper The Independent Peruvian cuisine is going global. Nick Curtis reported that “Native chefs … are reworking the nation's classic dishes and its cornucopia of fresh ingredients for gourmet palates. International gastronomes such as Denmark's René Redzepi and Spain's Ferran Adrià sing the praises of Peruvian food, and Peruvian restaurants are springing up across the Americas, Spain and London.”, marking just the latest in a series of commentaries charting the booming exportation of Peruvian cuisine. At Aracari, being big fans of our country’s beautiful cuisine, we can’t help but oblige. Being a well-travelled bunch we thought we’d try out 2 brand new Peruvian restaurants in Europe: Tradición Moderna in Barcelona and Ceviche in London, to see if they matched up to the challenge of replicating Peruvian cuisine abroad. Tradición Moderna C/ Castillejos, 397. Barcelona, Spain Tel. 686 220 200 Travel Planner Cécile visited Tradición Moderna in Barcelona. She said that the restaurant was a modern and simple take on Peruvian cuisine, nothing too heavy, a mix of traditional and modern fusion, and with minimalist decor. She visited with her family, and emphasised that the food here is very child-friendly. On whether Tradicion Moderna is a good representation of Peruvian cuisine, she said “it is becoming very well known in the Peruvian community in Barcelona, and everyone who comes here for lunch or dinner end up very happy” adding that the “service is very efficient”. They ate ceviche, lomo saltado and tamales, all of which retained the familiarity of Peruvian flavour, she told me. --- Ceviche 17 Frith Street SoHo London W1D 4RG http://cevicheuk.com After being invited by owner Martin Morales, I myself visited Ceviche in London during a trip home to the UK. Ceviche has
Discover this peruvian restaurants. Delicious! Peruvian food is on the march! As recently reported in UK newspaper The Independent Peruvian cuisine is going global. Nick Curtis reported that “Native chefs … are reworking the nation’s classic dishes and its cornucopia of fresh ingredients for gourmet palates. International gastronomes such as…
The Washington Post shares an interesting article about Peru's ever growing popularity on the international food scene. Here we share excerpts from their article 'Marinated in the Morning, Grilled at Night: The Charms of Peru's Fusion Cuisine'. Peru's Food Scene Featured in the Washington Post Señora Grimanesa, as she is known, has become a mini-celebrity in Lima. She has made TV appearances; she even has her own Web site. But Acurio is one of the country's most recognizable faces. After we arrived at the anticucho cart, it took only seconds for patrons to begin taking photos with their cellphones and lining up for autographs. Acurio is promoting anticuchos himself at his newest Lima restaurant, Panchita, which opened in February. Just a few miles from Grimanesa's cart, the vibe -- and the prices -- are entirely different. Hunks of meat are on display at the entrance of the vast modern space, accented with vibrant red and dark wood. In addition to beef heart, there are anticuchos of beef, salmon, chicken and octopus that cost between three and six times as much as the ones on the street. That, Acurio says, is the point: "Why, if we can go to hamburger restaurants and fried chicken restaurants, why can't we have a wonderful restaurant where anticuchos are the star? If we can have in the mind of people that there are great anticuchos, maybe they will think, 'Let's go eat them on the street.' We try to help each other." Other street foods have made their way onto restaurant menus. Tamales now are frequently available at Lima restaurants. My favorites, however, were picarones, a kind of doughnut made from a yeasted pumpkin or sweet potato dough. Whether you find them late-night on the corner or at the local cevicheria, the ring-shaped fritters are
The Washington Post shares an interesting article about Peru’s ever growing popularity on the international food scene. Here we share excerpts from their article ‘Marinated in the Morning, Grilled at Night: The Charms of Peru’s Fusion Cuisine‘. Peru’s Food Scene Featured in the Washington Post Señora Grimanesa, as she is…
