I never thought that Peruvian cuisine can be so delicious even though the combination looks simple. Earlier today, I went to PAVELA Peru, a newly opened restaurant located in Street Gallery area of Pondok Indah Mall 3, South Jakarta. With different kinds of delicious food the first-of-its-kind, honest, and authentic Peruvian cuisine, PAVELA has been opened for one month which turns out owned by Henalda Group. The modern minimalist decoration with the floor-to-ceiling windows and warm lighting makes everyone feels comfortable, although the seating area is not too much.
By using all fresh ingredients, PAVELA is fully committed to delivering quality Peruvian cuisines, professional hospitality, excellent hygiene, and a great value in all its operations. We were welcome by Pisco Sour Mocktail, which is a welcome drink in PAVELA. In Peru itself, Pisco is actually a cocktail with a base liquor to welcome guests or start a Peruvian meal. Here, PAVELA re-create the drink but without alcohol, and made it become a lightly sour mocktail that tasted so refreshing!
On the menu, there are some of the Peru‘s most popular dishes available here, such as Arroz con Chaufa (Peruvian style fried rice), Pollo Saltado for those who like flamed-cooked chicken breast, and Pollo A La Brasa. I heard that Peru has an amazing cuisine, and typical Peruvian dishes also benefit from European, African and Asian influences. Say like the Arroz con Chaufa (IDR 75K) which is a Chifa style dish, a mix of Peruvian and Chinese cuisine. This dish consists of fried rice with two pieces of chicken wings and sunny side up eggs.
From the appetizers, they have Yucca Fritas (IDR 40K), Pavela Wings served with Pavela tartar (IDR 55K), Causa de Cangrejo (IDR 45K), etc. Oh, I have not tried them all, but I really liked Yucca Fritas which basically is cassava fries. What makes them different from the other cassava fries was because they are so crisp on the outside while soft and dense textured on the inside. The Aji Verde (green chili sauce) works as a dipping sauce that gave a delicious spicy flavor to the cassava.
As for the main course, I only tried Pollo A La Brasa (IDR 95K) and Nikkei Chicken (IDR 80K) which my husband chose for his lunch. Pollo A La Brasa is one of leading signatures in PAVELA, and both main courses are accompanied by cilantro butter rice which was so delicious and fragrant! It can be a stand-alone side dish, and it becomes a perfect match to most dishes in PAVELA. Pollo A La Brasa consisted of juicy and flavorful roasted chicken thigh served along with some salad, and yucca fritas too. Another favorite was the Nikkei Chicken which has the Japanese influence in this dish. It consisted of deep-fried fillet chicken marinated in Nikkei sauce and topped with tartar sauce and chopped parsley. The chicken was indeed so tender, tasted sweet and so delicious!
Last but not least, they also have a few selections of desserts. If you like banana, you should try Banana Popsicles (IDR 40K) where it’s served cold, coated with the dark chocolate coating and roasted crushed peanuts, served with vanilla ice cream. But for those who love dark chocolate cake, you might want to try Beso De Moza (IDR 45K). It has a layer of marshmallow, and roasted peanuts in the middle, and served with vanilla ice cream too. But unfortunately, the texture of the cake was a little harder, and I would prefer if the cake is softer.
Overall, it was a wonderful Peruvian lunch experience at PAVELA Restaurant. For me, the two main dishes I mentioned above are like Peru’s style of comfort food. This may be something new for you, but I bet you’ll love it too. A must visit for all culinary lovers out there!
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