Nothing more porteño than Abasto, but when it comes to eating honest and tasty Peruvian cuisine, this is the neighborhood to go to. There, in the even more porteño Carlos Gardel passageway, the Peruvian chef Julio Marín decided to install his personal project, Quechua. His credentials include having been in charge of the kitchen of the sophisticated La Rosa Náutica restaurant in Buenos Aires and Bogotá, and winning the Community Chefs Challenge organized by the City Government in 2019. In Quechua, he combines the best of the two worlds: the refinement of haute cuisine with the simplicity of popular Peruvian cuisine.
Fresh fish, shellfish, meats, a variety of peppers and aromatic herbs are combined in ceviches, causes, sautéed, rice dishes, stews, grills and even a Nikkei sushi section. The menu is extensive and with interesting options to try a bit of everything, as in the case of the ceviche tasting and the rounds of the house, in which 3 or 5 options can be chosen from a varied list of dishes, including chicharrón de squid (like our squid rings but also including the tentacles), chicken cause (the classic yellow potato with chicken mousse), seafood wantan (“crispy ravioli” that, like many other dishes of Peruvian cuisine, were influenced by Chinese cuisine), papa a la huancaína, etc.
The sushi is fresh and well made, but it is the least original part of the menu. It is better to go to the Levanta Muertos section, where typical preparations such as fish sudado (fresh fish in a cooked background full of flavor), parihuela (seafood and fish stew with cassava and white rice), langoustine chupe (classic Arequipa soup), among others. The rice dishes that follow the tradition of the Chifas, the popular Chinese/Peruvian restaurants, also stand out; and the sections From our sea, with excellent fresh fish, and From Beef and Birds, with infallible dishes such as lomo saltado and rice with duck. The atmosphere is modest, and the prices are very affordable.
