Zazu, Quito, Ecuador

Hot Quito Nights - Zazu

Anyone who has spent time in the sweaty kitchens of haute cuisine haunts knows that Ecuadorians are South America’s gift to North American diners. So many kitchens workers in New York, Chicago, and elsewhere hail from this small land, the size of Nevada, but without the sand and glitz. In a recent visit to Ecuador I searched out Ecuadorian haute cuisine. I can report that I discovered such an establishment, an astonishing one, although a restaurant whose innovative chef, Alexander Lau, hails from Peru, Ecuador’s prickly neighbor to the south.





After a misguided first night culinary adventure in Quito, I came upon Zazu, and not willing to leave my good fortune to the vagaries of Ecuadorian cuisine, I returned the next night, the first time as a grazer that I have eaten back-to-back meals in any restaurant. (This post recounts the first meal: photos from the following night are on my flickr.com account).

Ecuador decided some time back not only to peg its currency to the U.S. dollar, but actually to use American currency. Americans need not change money. This decision no doubt seemed wise in the age of a strong dollar, but today Ecuador is a value for American tourists, no more so than at Zazu, where a full seven-to-nine course tasting menu costs an astonishing $35.00. Most of the wines poured (Chilean, Argentinean, Spanish, and an untasted Ecuadorian wine) are priced at about $30.00.

We were particularly fortunate in selecting Zazu on a lazy, summer Monday night. For much of the evening the stylish, contemporary restaurant was nearly empty, and we received considerable attention from the waitstaff and the chef, including an invitation to explore the kitchen. The tasting menu consisted of nine courses, each stylish and most spicy. I don’t believe that I have ever had a tasting menu flavored with so much heat. (The tasting menu the following night – a busier, peppier evening - had some wonderful dishes - including a sea bass in coconut sauce, langoustine in piquant sauce, and shrimp in a honey-chili sauce - but was less thematically coordinated, and as an evening repast slightly less satisfying).

Dinner began with a simple amuse, Pangora (Pacific) stone crab set on a small round of avocado with bits of lettuce and tomato on a quiet Zen-like platter. Unlike much of the rest of the meal, the taste was cool and sweet without a hint of spice. The dish was impressively restrained and the ingredients were sublime, but the taste revealed little of what was in store.



The second dish was inspiration: raw sole with a parmesan sauce: a cheesy sushi with chili peppers. I admit that the vision of the dish may not be what one expects on a restaurant plate, at least when one is able to keep one’s food down. But this is a dish that can be eaten up, down or sideways. Raw fish, cheese sauce, and chili: this dish is doomed to failure, except for the fact that it is so glorious in its surprises; so lasting in its memories. I fell in love with Chef Lau. At its best his cuisine has the power to reimagine cuisine. Never have I witnessed a top chef pack so much heat. Not weeping heat, but a mix of classic and hot.



Third we were treated to sashimi tuna, with sesame oil, sesame seeds, and more chilies. Pure fish, pure heat, pure fun.



Fourth course was a perfectly tender Calamari, stuffed with shrimp, drizzled with a Ponzu sauce and more hot peppers. While such a string of chilied dishes might seem redundant, they never did. Each had its own flavor profile and its own set of culinary references.



The fifth plate was a seafood composition: shrimp, grouper, octopus, and calamari with tree tomatoes (a common Ecuadorian vegetable), garlic, and some more peppers. While the grouper was slightly overcooked for my taste, the dish followed the piscatorial theme of the dinner. The dish was well-designed and enjoyable – and exotic with the fruity tomatoes - if not quite so imaginative as several preceding dishes.



Sixth course was prawn tempura served with a spicy mango salad. This dish, elegant, composed, spicy, represented the heart of Chef Lau’s cuisine. He draws upon Asian and Latin ingredients and flavors but with a classic sensibility. While the dish was not as dramatic as his sole sashimi with parmesan sauce, it was astonishing in its creative simplicity.



Our seventh course was aged beef tenderloin with green peppercorns served with a dill and caraway sauce and green salad. On this plate the pungency did not come from heat but from the other side of the pepper world. The beef was nicely undercooked and enriched by the depth of the source.



The finally entrée course was an ossobuco, served on risotto with asparagus tempura. As with the opening course, an enveloping mildness characterized this plate. While ossobuco can be heavy in the wrong hands, this small plate was surprisingly airy and well-portioned.



A lovely, light taxol (passion fruit) sorbet followed with a small fan of spun sugar as garnish.



Desserts, while successful, are less stunning (and were also slightly disappointing our second night when I was presented with a sampler of desserts, none of which was a knock-out). I enjoyed a vanilla panna cotta, served with a salad of raspberries, strawberries, and mint. I wished for a more tropical or peppery ending or one with greater surprise, but the dessert was sweet and light. My wife received a chocolate panna cotta with berries, served on a cinnamon crumble. Nice indeed, but without revealing the pastry chef’s magic art.





Not each dish is equally stunning, but dinner at Zazu was a revelation: a wise, generous and zippy Latin cuisine with Asian and European influences. Chef Lau is an important chef in Ecuador and in the global culinary world. With a wave of tourists soon descending on Quito for the 150th anniversary of The Origin of Species, hopefully Chef Lau and Zazu will receive their due. This most fit restaurant deserves to survive and prosper.

Zazu
Mariano Aguilera 331 y La Pradera
Quito, Ecuador
(02)254-3559
http://www.zazuquito.com

Vealcheeks

Great post Gaf, and it's timely for us, as we're headed to the Galapagos in November, spending 3 nights in Quito(although we won't arrive till about 9pm the first day-will anything be open late?). We are also taking an overnight trip to Otavalo. Any other recommendations would be appreciated, including authentic Ecuadorian cuisine. The only restaurants of interest I've found have been La Querencia and Il Risotto. I'd love to hear about your trip.

Many restaurants in Quito are open until 11 p.m. and some until midnight. We ate at Mare Nostrum, which Frommer's recommended, but were very disappointed (it was on a Sunday, almost empty, and perhaps the regular staff was not in the kitchen). The restaurant that we didn't try that was tempting was El Nispero, which is "New Ecuadorian" (Valladolid N24-438 and Cordero; phone: 02/2226-398) We were staying in New Town (at the Swisshotel), but if you are staying in Old Town, you might consider other places. In addition there are some posts on "eGullet" that you might examine.

On the way to Otavalo, we had a very nice morning snack at Molina San Juan, and a disappointing lunch at Hacienda Pinsaqui (impressive building and hotel, but unimpressive food). In truth Zazu was the only great meal(s) that we had in twelve days in Ecuador, but it made up for the rest.

If you want to talk about non-food issues, pm me.

The Galapagos were an unbelievable experience. The animals may not be as exciting or exotic as on safari, but the interaction is priceless.

Zazu was certainly the best food of the trip. Our menu was similar to yours, other than a few different courses. Great find!

After a trip to the equator we had good, traditional Ecuadorian food at El Crater. Plaza Foch, which is the hip spot in town, has a bunch of tapas-like restaurants with outdoor seating and music. We enjoyed Q and Boca do Lomo.

In Otavalo, I thought lunch at Hacienda Pinsaqui was ok. It doesn't break any new ground on the culinary scale, but their traditional foods were fine. We had dinner at La Mirage, a Relais & Chateau resort nearby. The grounds are beautiful but you never would know you were in Ecuador. The meal was quite good but more French and less Ecuadorian. Someone had told us incorrectly that it would be contemporary Ecuadorian. Had we known, we would've sampled a local restaurant instead.

Recently back from a brief stay in Quito (while in transit to the Galapagos Islands) and had wonderful dinner at Zazu. New chef since the previous posts (David Picco) but really a fantastic all around meal. While not listed on the menu, a tasting menu is available upon request and it is an incredible bargain. We were informed it would be seven courses for $50 (before tax and automatic service charge) but were actually delivered nine courses (and offered a tenth but we were too full and politely declined a second dessert course).

The menu featured mainly seafood (aside from a delicious rack of lamb course as the final savory) and appeared to be a fusion of Ecuadorian/Peruvian cuisine with some French and Asian influence. Definitely contemporary and often artistic presentations - and larger portions than a typical tasting menu. While I would not say any one dish stood out as amazing, each course was consistently in the good-to-great category with no duds and at $50 this was my second best ever value in fine dining.

The space itself is modern and beautiful and the staff was extremely friendly which enhanced the experience. Chef Picco even came out and did a tableside presentation of a shrimp course. So happy to have had the opportunity to have dined here.