Coca Peruvian Cuisine guerilla dining

Last night in Sydney Australia: Natalie Manning and Rebecca Varidel from Inside Cuisine got a taste of Peru.

Coca take one. Latin Chefs and friends Diego Munoz (Bilson’s) Martin Arrisueon (Awaba), Diana Manrique and Marco Amprimo (Asuka Patisserie) designed a sensational seven course degustation menu, complemented with wine matched by leading sommelier Richard Hargreave (Bilson’s), as the first of the Coca guerilla dining events in Sydney. The friends created this degustation to convey Peruvian’s love of food to the Australian public.

Coca was born over the last six weeks from these friends wanting to share good food with good company.

Natalie Manning writes:

Peru is known throughout South America, for its fresh produce and great dishes, so much so that many other countries use Peruvian cuisine and incorporate that into their own cuisine. The variety of dishes Peru has to offer comes from the diversity of produce available. Seafood is predominant in Peru due to a large portion of the population having access to waterways. On top of that, there are over 200 varieties of potato indigenous to Peru, along with a large variety of our contemporary staples which have been used for thousands of years locally such as tomatoes, beans, peanuts, chillis, corn, sweet potato and many fruits to name a few. Peruvian cuisine utilises all these ingredients, as well as produce imported from Spain, to create fresh and amazing dishes that tantalise our taste buds.

Coca Peruvian is the epitome of everything that is Peruvian. It is fresh, light, and bursting with flavour. A taste sensation that explodes in your mouth. I love the fact that a menu with such simple ingredients can create so many different waves of flavours in one bite.

The dinner – named Sangre Nueva – in Spanish means “new blood” - creating Peruvian cuisine in a new light, or re-establishing it to high cuisine.

When I first heard about this menu I was immediately looking forward to a ceviche, however, was disappointed not to see it on the menu. The Tiradito is similar to a ceviche in the way it is prepared, however, has its influence from the Japanese immigrants and their sashimi techniques. So I wasn’t disappointed after all.

The highlight of the night for me, although all the dishes were fantastic, was the Papa Rellena. This is a dish which I have eaten many times during my time living in Colombia, and is delicious food picked up in street stalls around the country. Of course, last night the dish was perfected by the team and transformed to a truely magnificent restaurant dish.

The dessert on the night, Tres Leches, is a dessert typical of South America which is also a Christmas dessert in Colombia. A beautiful dessert, which as I’ve experienced in Colombia uses condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream. No sign of those ingredients here though as for this dessert, as throughout the night, we were presented with the flavours of Peru in high end restaurant style.

Rebecca Varidel writes:

The goal of bringing together friends and family was definitely achieved. What a buzz there was in the room. Happy people were well fed by their friends. And I learnt something too. It was truly fabulous to have the opportunity to try (for me) some new and unfamiliar flavours delivered on such a prestigious plate. Each of the dishes was sensational. The Blue swimmer crab bisque was rich and flavoursome, sweet and enticing, and spoke of the sea. It was so seemingly simple, yet definitely well crafted. The same could be said of all the dishes. The plate – Australian Sea – was soft and sensous and sweet. For me the biggest leason was in the use of chilli, and I understand some varieties were especially grown for the dinner. The chilli was complex and passionate yet not temperamental – it provided depth and flavour but subsided without resonating heat. Seasoning, texture, aroma, freshness, beautiful produce, sensational cooking – all was right with the world.

And the world of this night used the finest Australian local produce to re-create the flavours of Peru. All the dishes were perfectly balanced, elegant and refined. The lightness and freshness played on the palate.

Diego, Martin, Diana and Marco – and not forgetting sommelier Richard – the evening was exquisitely done, thank you. When’s your next event?

I’ve been out tonight – and excitedly telling everyone – we’re seeing something new and amazing in Sydney – Coca Peruvian Cuisine.

Coca Peruvian Cuisine
“Sangre Nueva”
31st July 2011

Blue Swimmer Crab Parihuela
2010 Oliver’s Taranga Fiano, McClaren Vale SA

Australian Sea Tiradito
2010 Cherubino Riesling, Great Southern WA

Crystal Bay Prawn Causa
2010 Clonakilla ‘Nouveau’ Viognier, Canberra NSW

Black Angus Oxtail Papa Rellena, Solterito
2008 Greenstone Rosso di Colbo Sangiovese, Heathcote VIC

Muscovy Arroz con Pato
2009 Coates Touriga Nacional, Langhorne Creek, SA

Lucuma 3 Leches
2010 Scarborough Late Harvest Semillon, Hunter Valley NSW

Petit Fours & Coffee
Organic Peruvian Blend by Aroma Coffee

http://www.cocaperuviancuisine.com/