Dubai: It is hard not to like Peruvian food, it’s harder when it’s at Waka. If there is one thing that sets Waka apart from other Latin American restaurants in the city, it is the sheer effort in the kitchen.
I was welcomed to rustic sand interiors and Justin Bieber’s Despacito to Waka last week. The sand interiors are right out of a Tapas bar in Barcelona, and the music helped.
I opted for Wakamole and Del Marcado for starters, and couldn’t decide which one I liked more. Wakamole is guacamole (an avocado based dip) smoked in a stone pot, in an attempt to enhance the authentic flavour served with nachos.
The Del Mercado is every seafood lover’s dream. The crispy calamari was pleasantly crunchy served in Aji Amarillo sauce with sea bass (Aji Amarillo to Peruvian food is what hummus is to Lebanese). Made out of chilli peppers, this makes Peruvian dishes appropriately tangy and spicy.
For the main course I opted for beef as Peruvian cuisine is incomplete without wagyu. The Empanada de Carne is basically a slow braised beef rib in chimichurri sauce. Apart from being perfectly done, the ribs topped off with edible flowers is a treat, literally. The meat minus the eerie drips of oil when cut, is a sort of paramount for me.
Mushroom delight
Being a huge mushroom fan, I had to dig in to some truffles and Portobellos as well.
The aroma of truffle from the Quinoa Truffle Risotto is a testimony to the freshness of it. This one tops my eat list at Waka.
To end the meal, I wanted to try a dessert with Peruvian cacao, and chocolate bomb was marked popular on the menu. The thrill of breaking into the bomb was something I was looking forward to, but it was a notch bitter for a sweet tooth like me. Nevertheless, if you haven’t tried Peruvian cacao before, let it be this one solely because the chefs at Waka are legit.
Details:
Meal for two: Dh450
Where: The Oberoi Hotel, Business bay
Timing: 7pmM – 12 midnight
Contact: 04 4535283
Ambience: 3.5
Food: 5
Service: 4.5
Overall: 4.5
