The cebiche affaire

This is what it takes: very fresh raw fish, hot chili pepper, salt and black pepper, onion, and lemon juice. It looks simple, but the cebiche, the best known Peruvian food, takes a lot more if it is going to be a good one. And that's the reason why yesterday I rang the bell in what looked like a family house in Lima in order to meet a a man that is also a legend among those who look for the best cebiche: Javier Wong

It takes time to get there. First, you need to get a place, and there are only 6 or 7 small tables in this house. And then you need to find the house, in a small street around La Victoria in Lima. Very few people know about this restaurant. However, it is enough to keep it full everyday. And in any case, the name of the cook is quoted more often in the media, in a country where food is a matter of national pride. He was one of the Peruvian stars in the latest 'Madrid Fusión' gastronomic show.

Wong is a Chinese descendant in a country that in the past has received lots of migrants from Asia, mainly from China and Japan. The integration of those migrants to the Peruvian society has had a big influence over the food. And there are 2 types of food created by that fusion: the Chifa food (Chinese), and the Nikkei food (Japanese).

In this underground restaurant you eat cebiche as a starter. Javier Wong is in one corner of the restaurant making it the moment you order. He uses only sole fish, huge ones. And it is a show to see him cutting the big fish and the ingredients in order to mix them in a bowl. So here is how he makes it: first the red onion, then the chili pepper know as 'ají limo' (see the 'ingredientes' folder at http://www.flickr.com/photos/luiscor/), then black pepper and salt. And, of course, the raw fish. He mixes it, and just before serving adds a bit of lemon juice.

Well, to tell you the truth, most cooks do that. But there is something in Wong's cebiche. Then you discover that this is not only cooking. The result is a raw fish (the lemon is for taste, it doesn't get to cook the fish), very spicy, and so tasty. An experience. Forgot to say that the day I went, he also added octopus.

Then Javier Wong offers a hot dish. Usually he makes only one, depending on the ingredients he has and how he feels. There is no choice. This time it was sole again, but cooked in the wok with Chinese ingredients. He goes out to a small courtyard and produces a lot of fire and smoke around that wok. The result is really amazing.

There is one thing about Wong's place: it may be the most expensive place I have been in this city.

However, it is also a good moment to wonder if looking for the best cebiche here is not a useless mission. Because there are so many places where one can find the 'experience'. It is important to understand that food is a major feature in visits to Perú, that there are tourists coming here only to eat in restaurants, that the Peruvian food is being exported to the world, and this means that there are amazing chefs and places to eat, and the markets are full of fresh, first quality products.

Cebiche is everywhere in Lima. And everyone has something to say about the preparation of the raw fish, or about where to go, what kind of fish should be used. The cebicherías are part of the geography of this city. But be aware: this is not food to be eaten for dinner here in Lima. It is for lunch, and most cebicherías are already closed by 4 or 5 pm.

My own favorite place is 'La Mar', one of the restaurants of chef Gastón Acurio, an international star who is also an activist of Peruvian food. You will find only fish here. And of course there are many types of cebiche, including the sliced version called 'tiradito', prepared by very young cooks behind the bar. This is also an experience, of course.

After the cebiche and whatever comes as a main dish, it is always a good idea to walk along the 'malecón', facing the beach of Lima, looking at the very long and dark waves of the Pacific Ocean, dreaming.

(Luis Córdova in Lima)