Ceviche and causa, anticucho and acevichado: Torito is a tantalising new restaurant that promises Peruvian pleasures by Lima-born chef Ivan Casusol Rossi, who harnesses 22 years of professional experience in Latin American cooking.
Start with the star recipe, representing Peru's Pacific seafood heritage: Ceviche Clasico is Torito's tribute to citrus-marinated fish, moist but not mushy, firm with full-bodied fleshiness, its clean, natural purity of flavour enlivened with the traditional tiger's milk marinade of lime, chillies and cilantro, encircled with crackly-fried squid rings and orange sweet potatoes.
Causa embodies two cornerstones of Peruvian cuisine - potatoes and seafood: Torito layers comfortingly smooth mashed potatoes with thick-sliced hamachi and salmon sashimi, a nod to Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei inspirations for an irresistibly unique South American indulgence.
Cazuelas - shallow earthenware brimming with meat and the land's harvest - showcase soulful heartiness: A duet of duck, boneless leg confit and prosciutto-like cured breast, on soccarat-rich rice with red onion pickles, and a one-pot wonder of wok-fried beef tenderloin, tenderly channelling Peru's Chinese Chifa legacy, cushioned with creamy beans and coriander sauce.
Dessert possibilities include picarones - the Peruvian street-food staple of deep-fried sweet potato doughnuts is crispy-hot, with an earthy autumnal sweetness that reflects Torito's fermentation of the tuber, cooled with chef Ivan's own honeydew ice cream, secretly and subversively laced with blue cheese for delicately delectable depth.
With a 53rd-floor view from Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur, tables at Torito deliver a dramatic tableau of KL's cityscape. Sparkling service supplements the shimmering skyline.
