Haute Cuisine in Cuenca
Goodness, but this little ol’ cobbled-street (and fabulously beautiful!) town perched atop an 8,000+ foot Andean mountain in Ecuador – just keeps getting better ‘n better. I’m talkin’ about my adopted (and beloved) home of Cuenca. Indeed, just as my own swift slide into World-wide foodie-dom has manifested since I flew the U.S. of A. chicken-coop six years ago, so too has Cuenca grown-up (in the 4+ years I’ve lived here) to offer – not only such international cuisines as Vietnamese pho, Japanese ramen, and Swiss fondue, but…
Absolutely bona fide “haute cuisine”. As per Wikipedia:
| Haute cuisine (French: literally “high cooking”, pronounced [ot kɥi.zin]) or grande cuisine refers to the cuisine of “high-level” establishments, gourmet restaurants and luxury hotels. Haute cuisine is characterized by meticulous preparation and careful presentation of food, at a high price level. |
Meticulous preparation and uber-careful preparation to be sure. Um, the only difference between Wikipedia’s definition and my most recent Cuenca foodie find is that here in Cuenca that “…at a high price…” is (happily) more like a 6 course haute cuisine lunch at a most economical price of just $18!
Furthermore (much like my “Mystery Dinner” a few months ago) this foodie treat was served in a charming “underground restaurant” – i.e. the lovely home of “Chef Yasu”.
LE MENU |
Tomato-cranberry mascarpone mousse in dehydrated vegetable shell over yogurt-cucumber salad ~ Curry-flavored sweet-potato turnover ~ Non-dairy corn chowder ~ Roasted beet agnolotti ~ Lemon-strawberry granita ~ Fondant au chocolat |
And of course – fear not – I’ve got the PICS!
Tomato-cranberry mascarpone mousse in dehydrated vegetable shell over yogurt-cucumber salad
Curry-flavored sweet-potato turnover and eggplant gratinee
Corn chowder with croutons
Roasted beet agnolotti
goat cheese and Parmigiano cheese crumbs over zucchini ratatouille
Delicate blossoms adorning the table setting
Lemon-strawberry granita and honey meringue coconut shell
Fondant au chocolat homemade vanilla ice cream and custard cake
Chef Yasu offers a different six-course menu each week, with just 3 dinner seatings (Thursday, Friday and Saturday), along with lunch on Saturday. The lunch I enjoyed there was definitely among my most memorable ever. The flavors and textures of each and every course were truly outstanding.
Seriously, this was truly on a par with the 17 course, $200 lunch that I had at “Central” in Lima, Peru (ranked #1 in South America and #5 in the ENTIRE WORLD). But this tiny home restaurant easily equaled Central in every way. Just (another) reason dear Cuenca suits me to a T!
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About the Author
Dyanne Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion,and I’ve always lived life “like-a-kid-in-a-candy-store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been: This ain’t a dress rehearsal, folks!
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Off-the-beaten-path travel is my passion, and I’ve always lived life “like a kid in a candy store” – eager to sample as many flavors as I can. Indeed, my life motto has long been:
Mmmmmm. I’m almost tempted to get a plane for that kind of food!
Come on down, Ruth! Have you explored much of South America? Ecuador surely has a lot to offer (those Galapagos Isles, the Amazon, the beaches, and of course I’d love to show you around my beloved home here atop this Andean mountain).
Oh yum Dyanne! You have me drooling here!
Indeed Anita, the foodie-train is alive and well here in Cuenca. Next week I’m headed to a **TWENTY** course affair served up by a chum of mine.
And then there’s my own slip-slide into a new culinary biz – stay tune (you always do, bless your heart!) for an announcement of my latest zany escapade coming soon.
Dyanne,
Steve C here. You know I’ve been following your blog forever. Now, I’m planning a trip to Ecuador next month. I’ve not set the date yet, but I think I may be flying into Quito toward the end of November or early December. I would then be making my way around the country for one to two months before heading north to Colombia and eventually Panama before heading back to California next Spring.
I will definitely be coming to see you and your adopted (and beloved) home of Cuenca. So, the question is: Will your itchy feet be planted there during December? I’d sure like to chew the fat with you. I tell people I’ve got more stories than you’ve got time. However, I think I just might meet my match with you and your story-telling occupation. lol I’ll even throw in some of my stories of my stay in Dalat.
Let me know if you’ll be around so I can insert you into my very flexible plans.
Steve C
Well hola there my long-suffering TL reader! Sounds like you’ve got quite the adventure planned – pleee-enty to keep you enchanted here in Ecuador. (including… I can show you how to do those luscious Galapagos Isles on the CHEAP!)
And yes, yes – my “itchy feet” are (happily) momentarily at rest here for a spell. No big adventures planned until late next year (Ethiopia here.I.come.) And furthermore… you’re coming at a somewhat momentous moment – early December I’ll be embarking on a whole new chapter in my zany life (announcement coming soon). Would love to hang out and chew the travel fat with you, and show you around my (yes indeed, beloved) adopted home.
Do send me an email note if you have any questions about how best to get around Ecuador, what to see/do, etc. With that much time you’ll want to do the Amazon, the coast, and the G’s, as well as Cuenca and surrounds.