Central — Restaurant in Lima Metropolitan Area

Awful experience with food poisoning! Central was gonna be the highlight of our 3-week holiday, even days before our reservation we were already excited about our experience at the “world’s best restaurant”, hoping to return home with a great story to share. On Aug 11 when we arrived at Central for lunch, we passed by the ingredients display table and were directed to our table directly. After finishing two courses, we noticed other guests were given introduction about the ingredients first before the courses, but we didn’t have. So we asked our waiter about this, and he suggested to do it at the end of our lunch. What’s the point of getting to know the ingredients after the food? Feels like someone forgot to give us the introduction and wanted to rush us to the table. So we insisted to have the introduction after two courses, during the introduction the waiter skipped two ingredients on purpose, as he didn’t have a clue what these were. After our two course, another waiter came to share a wine list. Usually aren’t you supposed to share that before guests start eating? My husband tasted two types of white, did not taste good (overall their wine selection is not compatible to their food standard), so he went for a third choice. All 3 wine glasses were lying in the table for a while, apparently the waiter forgot to take away the unused empty glasses. At the end of the meal, there were 3 desserts in the menu. We were counting the 12 dishes according to the menu, but we only had 2 desserts. I asked if we missed one dessert, turned out that they served two desserts at the same time without clarifying. Once after we paid the bill we with a handsome tip, the waiters in the restaurant all just ignored us. It gave us a strong feeling that their job is done, and you should be out in your way. After we left the restaurant, we had the plan to explore the lovely neighbourhood of Blanca, but my belly started to bubble, so we went straight back to the hotel. Both my husband and I had diarehha. Then I started to throw up for 10 min (my husband made a video of me and showed this to Central later), and after one hour I stated to have high fever and felt nausea, so we had to cancel our evening plan and stayed in the room. The next day I stayed in the hotel room the whole day, feeling still weak with fever and couldn’t eat anything. The third day I got better, but my husband got sick also with h high fever and sincere pain in his belly and up to his liver, with the same symptoms as mine. We both had food poisoning and were 100% sure that it was from the food we ate at Central, given: I had symptoms right after our lunch (usually my body responds fast if I ate something bad); both of us had food poisoning, and our children not, and it’s the only meal that we didn’t take with our children during the whole vacation; we did research that other people got sick at Central in the past, and some ingredients such as seaweed, raw seafood can be dangerous if not treated properly. We contacted Central right after I got sick from the lunch, hoping they would recognise our accident and share an apology with partial refund. Their Hospitality Director responded with a lengthy email, mainly explaining you can sick in Peru with some info sources, but how great Central is and it’s not their fault blah blah blah… it looks like a standard email. We got in the phone with him twice, the only thing he said was repeating the same message over and over, that Central was not responsible and will not do anything. Overall we were very very disappointed the whole Central experience: below standard service, overpriced food for some flavours that do not blend well, and mostly food safety and their attitude to handle such issues. We also talked to other high end restaurants in the neighbourhood, they would take total different measures to facilitate their clients in this situation. In our opinion, Central definitely doesn’t deserve the “world’s best” title, we had much better dining experience in other restaurants where we never had...

The concept here is very cool. The restaurant boasts an exquisite blend of textures and shapes and color. The materials they use are each unique, nature themed, and asymmetrical. I enjoyed the spa like music, which gave off a sensation of weightless aquatic bliss.

I love that the artisanal spoons are delivered between courses in pocket rocks, and I love the waiter’s suggestion on how to eat: “Use this spoon, carved by hand from a fallen piece of Amazonian wood."

The artisanal spoons though do make it hard to eat the whole plate. One plate felt almost like the scallops, sliced more finely then I had ever experienced, were swimming away from me. There was a subtle element of play and tactility required.

The food is good; the cousins of the sweet potato somehow taste like brisket. The sweet potato crisps were finer than tissue paper, and reminiscent of potpourri. The hot ball with golden hair has a warm moisture rich consistency and the crunch of the gold surprises and compliments, but its flavor isn’t so much more exotic than the street arepas I’ve been eating around South America. The deep fried lobster bite could have been warmer. The tiny salad is crunchy and delicious, but I’d appreciate it particularly more with a fork.

I didn't love the temperature variation or spongelike flavor of the cold sea urchin alone, or in relation to the warm creamy substance that tasted reminiscent of Doritos beneath it.

The dorsal fin they leave on view for me to demonstrate the approximate size of the fish I might be eating was fresh enough to be surprisingly sticky to the touch, which I did not appreciate, nor was I warned about mid meal.

I'm reminded between each course to “enjoy the moment” as I indulge, and watch the tables next to me eat, photo first before each course, of course, and sometimes between each bite.

The waiters coordinate their service to place the plates down at exactly the same time, but they seemed rushed, rather than chatty, which is odd for me as a regularly dining single. They are also fast to remove the center pieces and leave me with the food, which I would have appreciated more with the artisticly informational rendition of their sources in view. They ask me if I’m done before I’m done, and there is a very subtle feeling of being rushed. During the most sensational course, I was distracted by how quickly the lovely serving plates were taken away. The waiters take the spherical puzzle bowl too quickly for me to play with and I wasn’t asked for my reactions of any but one of the 15 courses.

Ultimately, it was a unique dining experience where I was able to taste flavors from around the country in an artistic display of texture, temperature, and presentation.

Did I like all of the flavors? No. Did I find the wait staff to be overly welcoming, and informative? Not particularly.

There was a certain humanistic warmth missing to the restaurant, as if the experience was part of an assembly line of high-end 15 course deliveries. I didn’t feel the personality of the staff, and while the setting and design of the restaurant was immaculately thought out and service was punctual, practiced, and detail oriented, there was a piece of the 3 hour lunch experience that felt like...

In summary, interesting and mostly delicious dishes, visually stunning presentation, a spacious and beautiful atmosphere, and at times disappointing service. Not for everyone, but recommended for a foodie with money to spare.

We visited as a couple on a weekday evening and both had the tasting menu Mundo en Desnivel (13 dishes), one vegetarian. We also had the South American wine pairing. We don't often visit restaurants of this caliber so the experience was fairly new to us, I'll give a detailed overview here for the benefit of those in a similar situation.

We were guided from the front gate through the front garden, filled with herbs and a few exhibits including local pottery and other tools used in cooking. Before entering the dining area we were briefly shown a display of ingredients (pictured) and we were encouraged to come back to enjoy it during the dining experience. We were seated at a long stone table with plenty of space to other diners, which gave a luxuriant feel. The dining space is elegantly decorated and has plenty of natural light.

Dishes were served at regular intervals but considering our own pace, giving us a bit of time in between each dish. For most dishes we were presented with and served a new glass of wine or small cocktail. Some dishes came with a visual of some of the ingredients, presented on a tray, and others with an accompanying note showing a main ingredient or even a booklet. Guests are free to bring these home. Wait staff gives a brief presentation of the main components of the dish, and hints on how best to enjoy it.

The food: All dishes were absolutely gorgeous, colorful, and varied. While I didn't enjoy all tastes, they were all interesting. Many dishes were delicious, none tasted bad, but some had a strange texture or aftertaste. There was a definite focus on seafood, which a majority of dishes involved. Many new tastes and ingredients.

The service: All wait staff was very friendly and accommodating, attentive when it came to requests and questions, timing the meal appropriately, making sure new dishes were served in appropriate intervals. Wait staff pulling out our chairs and folding our napkins when we left the table are things we aren't used to, and it gives a high-end feel. We were a bit disappointed in the presentation of both food and wine. Explanations were a bit too brief to our liking, giving an overview of origin of the main ingredients, but not going deeply into the cooking process. Especially the sommelier was very brief and unenthused. Enthusiastic and thorough service I would certainly expect at this price point.

Overall impression: We had a great experience at Central, but it's not for everyone. Is the value for money there? That will definitely vary between guests. The price will only be worth it if you're looking for an amazing overall food experience, luxuriating in the ambience and newfound tastes, not just a nice dinner. I'd recommend for any foodie in Lima to try it, and we really enjoyed our experience, but I doubt we'll...