The culinary adventure at Central starts on Peruvian coastline, with the first dish being drawn from the Pacific ocean.
The star of the dish is the piure percebe razor clam, which is a burst of flavor in your mouth, and releases an oozy, sweet-and-salty liquid as soon as you bite into it. It is accompanied by a set of yellow crisps and a purple flower-infused jelly on the side.
The second dish is derived from the country's dry, desertic coast, and was a fusion of cactus, clams, and yuyo seaweed.
The cold cubes of seaweed were interesting in texture, and the cactus tasted almost like candy.
Hundreds of varieties of potatoes and other tubers have been grown in the Peruvian Andes for centuries, and this dish brought together two varieties of what is called "mashwa" along with duck confit.
The mashwa was crunchy and airy, almost like dry fried noodles, with subtle vegetal flavors that popped from the touch of sauce on top.
Copoazú and Sachatomate — tropical trees related to the cacao and tomato respectively — make up the fourth dish on the ecosystems tasting menu at Central.
These were light, pillowy fritters, a little denser than the mashwa fritters in the previous course. The orange and black dips on the side added a great kick to them.
The fifth dish is a medley of squid, a seaweed called sargassum, and elements from a tree called huarango — and really evoked the flavors of the sea.
I remember it being a very well composed dish, with the salty squid at the bottom enveloped by a creamy sauce, a thin crisp on top and pickled vegetables as a garnish.
I had never tried sea urchin before until this course came around, and I was pleasantly surprised.
The dish had a punch of umami flavor, with the broth that was poured over the sea urchin and avocado serving to blend all the ingredients together into a cohesive whole.
Corn is Peruvian staple, and this dish highlights the versatility of the ingredient by marrying two native varieties of corn (choclo and kculli) with kiwicha (a dense grain similar to quinoa).
This was one of my favorite dishes, and was the perfect blend of rich, savory, and fresh elements, with a creamy gnocchi-like base underneath topped by a crispy thin fritter and fresh, herby leaves.
This one takes the prize as far as presentation is concerned, with piranha heads and eyes staring back at you from the dish it was served in.
Other than that, it was pretty underwhelming, consisting of yet another crisp made up of yuca root and cocona fruit.
The ninth dish takes you back to the coast, with an eclectic fusion of scallops, macre pumpkin purée, and sea lettuce coalescing into a mouthwatering union.
The last main course dish consisted of tender, succulent pieces of lamb under a bed of pickled olluco (a kind of tuber) and crystallized straws of sheep's milk.
While some may have appreciated this dish — and the impeccable technique behind it — it was perhaps my least favorite. While the sauce was interesting, I am not a huge fan of lamb meat.
I have to be honest, I am not a huge dessert person. But the first dessert knocked it out of the park.
It elevated two very intrinsic elements of Peruvian cuisine — cacao in the form of a delicious, creamy mousse and coca leaves in a shaved ice-jelly combo.
If you've seen the Central episode of "Chef's Table," you would distinctly remember chef Martínez Véliz rolling around these gelatinous balls in his palms, which are derived from the broiled bark of the huampo tree.
These gel huampo balls, along with congona leaves and kjolle flowers make up the last course of the 12-course tasting menu, offering a refreshing palette cleanser and a fitting end to the complex culinary journey.
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