La Divina Comida has a new menu: The perfect excuse to come back

A couple of days ago we found out that La Divina Comida had a new menu. This was the perfect excuse to go back and try part of this new offer.

If you don't know it yet, let me tell you that this is a Peruvian-inspired restaurant, where its chef Marco Antonio Ganoza always surprises with recipes from his homeland that are treated in an exceptional way. It is located on Avenida Escazú and has been offering its creations to the Costa Ricans for 17 years.

Among the novelties there are rice dishes and tiraditos, all of them taking advantage of the sea resources fished in a sustainable way. Also desserts that even the least enthusiastic of these (like me) will leave you wanting more.

Tiradito bachiche

We are all familiar with the worldwide fame of Peruvian cebiche. Equally famous is its tiradito, a dish that has similarities with the cebiche, for example both are marinated in lemon, but the tiradito does not have onion.

During my visit Marco Antonio recommended the fresh fish tiradito bachiche. It is one of those ideal appetizers for sharing. The fish varies from one day to another, because it depends on what they caught the day before on the coast.

The one I tried included yellowtail snapper, tuna, corvina, cabrilla and salmon (this is clearly the only non-Tico cut). On top of the finely chopped pieces a little lemon, salt, truffle oil and parmesan cheese.

The flavor varies in each bite, because each fish has its own characteristics. What is certain is that the lemon and the truffle oil perfume each piece and when taken to the mouth they combine without stealing the leading role of the fish.

The Parmesan cheese surprised me a little, I would not have imagined that it would combine well. How wrong I was, that's why in this life you have to give yourself a chance to try new things.

You have to have a slight taste for raw fish, a simple way to solve this is to ask yourself, do I like Peruvian cebiche? If the answer is yes, then you will love this entry.

Arroz meloso

The name "arroz meloso" sounded funny to me, it was the first time I heard it. It is a way of preparing rice with various ingredients, a middle ground between a Peruvian paella or chaufa type rice and an Italian risotto.

This mellow rice from La Divina Comida is with seafood and lots of it by the way. Fish, mussels, octopus, shrimp, squid, vegetables and choclo (a type of Peruvian corn).

The chef says that the caramelization of the onion in a precise point and the combination with parmesan cheese is what gives this dish that mellow texture to the menu. 

It is delicious, in every bite you experience the pleasure of the flavor of the seafood that goes so well with all kinds of rice.

An extra that makes it unique is that along with the rice dish comes a shot of leche de tigre, the juice resulting from the elaboration of the menu. This liquid based on lemon, salt and other ingredients is poured over the rice to create an unmistakably Peruvian experience.

El Divino Postre

I'm not a big fan of desserts, however chef Marco Antonio Ganoza's merengado is simply something divine, it's sinful, it's deadly rich and it's very different from the usual restaurant desserts (even the very good ones).

Imagine this ingratitude of non-guilty pleasure: A base of suspiro, then a generous and exaggerated amount of dulce de leche, then another layer of suspiro, more dulce de leche in abundance and a sweet passion fruit cream, another layer of suspiro and to top it off a whipped cream and fresh fruit.

I assure you that I will go more than once and just for this dessert, that alone makes it worth going to the place.

 

The first thing you experience when you put it in your mouth is the crunchy texture of the sigh. Then, like a giant wave of flavor, the dulce de leche appears and combined with the passion fruit cream (which has a slight acidity), makes the experience unforgettable.

Vision

During the conversation with Marco Antonio, he told us that this new menu was born for several reasons. The most important is the desire to support artisanal fishermen who use techniques that seek sustainability. 

Also to support local producers of fresh products, these come daily to the restaurant and thus ensures that their recipes offer the best available in the domestic market.

Another reason for the appearance of the new menu, although a bit jokingly and a bit seriously, is that the executive chef felt a bit bored on a creative level since the appearance of the pandemic and that is why he entered the kitchen. The fruit is what he considers one of the best menus he has created in nearly two decades.

The renovation is partial, because the most iconic dishes of the restaurant still remain, eliminating them would be gastronomic suicide. But we must highlight the value of this Peruvian with a Costa Rican soul for modifying its proposal with that vision of 100% support to the local and sustainable that few are willing to do.

La Divina Comida, on Avenida Escazú, is open every day of the week. Phone 2208-8899, Facebook @restauranteladivinacomida and Instagram @ladivinacomidacr