When you talk about feasts, we Filipinos have stamped ideas in our brains that it should be in restaurants serving cuisines we are all familiar with. For example, we deliberately end up in an American, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Spanish or probably Italian restaurants too. Familiarity doesn’t harm at all. In fact, it’s safe.

In this post, I want to open your eyes to a new discovery where it’s worth to take your family, friends, or the person seated next to you. Let’s put aside familiarity and keep an open mind to check out what Don Andres, a Peruvian kitchen, has to offer.

My fascination with Peruvian cuisine wasn’t that sharpened until I was introduced to Don Andres. Spiced with Southern American flavors, Don Andres works towards emphasizing the difference of Peruvian cuisine. In short, pushing for its authenticity to be loved by humans of Manila. Together with O, I went with an empty stomach, prepared for the Peruvian quest.

We were greeted by this appetizer Pulpo Al Olivo, sliced octopus cooked in citrus juice, saltine crackers with Botija olive sauce. Strangers to octopus as a starter may find it insane, but I don’t. The sour complement of citrus to the small slices of octopus climbs as a top notch among my favorite appetizers.

A spoonful of refreshing Peruvian mussels with a generous overlay of citrus corn salsa. There’s no other way to understand Choros A La Chalaca but to slide one spoon as a whole into the tips of your tongue. Every ingredient completes the experience, getting hints of sourness, spiciness and freshness from the mussels, all balanced for a splash of refreshing appetizer.

Ceviche de Pescado could be mistaken as kilawin, a Filipino-style raw meat or seafood sliced and seasoned with spices, by a glance of it. Once you walk into the taste, you’ll be tickled by the chunks of marinated fish cured in sharp citrus juice with a tad of yellow chili sauce. Sweet potato, sliced sweet corn and canchas sitting around ask to be mixed together to bring you clarity the intention of this plate, a variety of textures in a single bite.

The popular Peruvian dish, Lomo Saltado, served with beef tenderloin strips, onions, tomatoes and fried potatoes will leave you speechless, like what happened to me and O. Running out of words to define our first impression, all we could do was stuff our mouth with more pieces of those tenderloin strips danced with huge chunks of tomatoes and sweet onions sprinkled with lime all over.

Pescado Al Ajillo, seared white fish, ramps as the mildest, with clean flavors of olive oil, garlic sauce and lemon topped with Parmesan cheese.

So far at this point, every plate served is flawless.

Pollo A La Brasa is the signature dish of Don Andres that comes with a triad of sauces: chimichurri, aji verde sauce and chili mayo. Anyone who enters the premises of Don Andres couldn’t judge without taking a bite of this 24-hr cooked South American roasted chicken. I had an instant romance with the chicken, which I think anyone who has tasted will give their 2 thumbs up as a similar gesture of love for it. Spending time to depict the marinade used will take you ages. The secret lies on the special marinade kept in Don Andres’ vault.

Two rice plates, also known as their paella, are offered for an explosion of all things Peruvian. Arroz con Mariscos includes assorted seafood running around the grains of rice simmered in wine sauce.

The focus is on the mussels for Arroz con Mejillones, an authentic Peruvian paella that’s also simmered in wine sauce.

At Don Andres, authenticity is taken seriously even for their beverages. The golden kola or Inca Cola comes all the way from Peru, a major explanation of the premium price for a cola. Standing beside is Chica de Jora, sweet corn beer that manifests a similar taste to tamarind, is also manufactured in Peru.

To wash out so many things running around in your mouth, Pie de Limon is an ideal aftermath. A Peruvian style key lime pie that sends tolerable sour notes while enjoying a layer of meringue.

The simple looks of Alfajores deceives. Shortbread cookies with dulce de leche filling is an exciting mouthful treat. It could be paired over a cup of tea or coffee for its graceful take on sweetness without tiring your palate.

The fairest of them all is this Tres Leches. I don’t usually pay a ticket for sponge cakes but the idea of soaking cream and dulce de leche topped sponge cake in milk is undeniably genius. Jordan Fu, co-owner and baker of Don Andres, gets the credit for his imaginative and to-die-for desserts.

Crunchy Peruvian doughnut called Picaornes, served with dulce de leche dip, doesn’t show a hint of squash, sweet potato and star anise infused. Bizarre as it sounds, I didn’t taste a pinch of those 3 ingredients. Not a single one overpowered each other. As a result, the crazy idea left us with a delightful crunchy doughnut perfectly paired with dulce de leche dip.

More than Don Andres’ spectacular Peruvian dishes, the casual yet festive set-up has a welcoming feel to take in groups of diners, family or friends. Geometrical and skeletal shaped lights in all tables contrasts with printed couches to give a warm and at ease feel.

The bar facing some of the couches call for attention saying, “One more drink?”

Thanks to the Plump Pinays Danah and Stacy for introducing us to the impressive cuisine of Don Andres.

What do you think of Don Andres?

Share with me your thoughts! 🙂

Cheers,