Japan and Peru are not really countries that one would associate closely together, but the two countries share a long history. Peru was the first Latin American country to accept Japanese immigration, and the Japanese were more than happy to sail on over in 1899 thanks to the poor economy brought on by the first Sino-Japanese War.
The first wave of Japanese immigrants were farmers who worked the fields as contract laborers and settled in Peruvian cities after their terms were completed. Having settled for a long time in their new home, they missed eating their food and weren’t able to recreate what they were familiar with as they weren’t able to get Japanese ingredients. What they did was adapt — taking advantage of readily available local ingredients and use Japanese techniques on them. The Peruvian Nikkei cuisine was born, homemade fusion fare that has since migrated beyond the kitchens of elder Japanese-Peruvians to the tables of chic restaurants worldwide.
One of these restaurants is none other than Osaka, considered one of the best eateries in Latin America. No worries if you can’t head over to where the restaurant is in Santiago; it’s already here right now. For a short while, at least.
In a week-long pop-up at Shangri La Hotel’s NAMI Restaurant & Bar, the multi-sensory experience of Nikkei cuisine comes to Singapore. The best Peruvian flavors and Latin American produce are specially flown in here for a 7-course dinner tasting menu at $188 per person.
Until Jan 27, patrons will get to feast on an uncommon but alluring fare, including Osaka’s take on the classic ceviche. Fresh scallops and flounder are marinated quickly (you don’t have really cure sashimi after all) in the wasabi-infused leche de tigre, the spicy citrus-based marinade that adds a sharp kick to the seafood.
Osaka’s signature dish also makes an appearance — the Inka Nigiri Duo. Think Peruvian sushi, really. One portion of the rice is topped with a slice of tuna tatami, drizzled by a yellow chili leche de tigre and crispy quinoa; the other is topped with a slice of pork jowl braised with soy sauce, pisco, ginger, and chili.
Oh yeah, there’s Chirashi too. In lieu of rice, the carbs come in the form of good ol’ Peruvian potatoes, of which the country has 4,000 varieties of. Accompanying the squid ink-infused mashed potatoes are another national produce: avocados. The fancy Japanese segment involves King Crab tartare, tuna tartare, shrimp, and pearls of ikura. Yet again, leche de tigre is provided, but in a pipette so you can dab to taste.
The other savory dishes are yours to discover and gobble in delight, so we’ll move on to the desserts. The Lima Yuki offers a welcome freshness with gels of the citrusy lulo fruit (they grow in the tropical altitudes of Latin America), layers of muña mint, ginger granita, tapioca pearls and a dash of potent pisco. The Suspiro Perú consists of soursop sorbet partnered with creamy lemongrass dulce de leche and matcha meringue, all of which lay on top of Amazonian chocolate crumbs.
The Nikkei experience isn’t complete without Peruvian-inspired cocktails ($24 each) such as the Ginger Inca — a botanical gin and tonic with ginger, lemongrass, melon, Amazonian nuts, Macedonian juniper berries together with ultra-premium gin from the Amazonian Gin Company. The Aqua Kyoto is a class act with Peruvian dry gin, sake, shish cordial and lime juice before it all gets topped with small drops of sesame oil for that savory aroma.
FIND IT:
Osaka Cocina Nikkei Pop-up
Jan 21-27, 6-10pm
NAMI Restaurant & Bar, Shangri-La Hotel
Nearest MRT: Orchard
