SUYO Modern Peruvian is an award-winning, MICHELIN-recommended restaurant in Vancouver’s Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, led by Chef-Owner Ricardo Valverde. Their menu draws on Peru’s diverse culinary traditions, bringing seasonal ingredients together with South American wines and a pisco cocktail program.
I visited to try their new fall menu, with seafood, grilled meats, desserts and more accompanied by cocktails and zero-proof drinks.
We started with the Bluefin Tuna Tartare, served with truffled shoyu, button mushrooms and wonton tostadas. The tender tuna and mushrooms had an earthy flavour from the truffled soy sauce. I liked scooping everything onto the tostadas, which added a light crunch.
The Scallop and Prawn Ceviche came with cocona leche de tigre and cilantro foam. Cocona is an Amazonian fruit, and leche de tigre is the tangy marinade used in Peruvian ceviche. The dressing had a nice acidity to highlight the sweetness of the seafood.
The Hamachi Tiradito offered a different take on raw seafood. Tiradito features thin slices of fish served with sauce, and this version came with charred eggplant leche de tigre, avocado mousse and chalaca. The smoky eggplant was an interesting addition to the delicate hamachi.
For a warmer dish, there was the Sunchokes Fritos with house-smoked kohlrabi purée and aji amarillo, a Peruvian yellow chili pepper. The fried sunchokes were earthy and nutty, with a smoky flavour from the purée.
The Veal Sweetbreads Anticuchero arrived on skewers with tari sauce, pan de choclo, herb pistou and olluco. Pan de choclo is corn bread, and olluco is an Andean crop. The sweetbreads had browned edges and a tender centre, with a grilled flavour that worked nicely with the herbs.
With the Causa of Bluefin Tuna Tataki, I enjoyed the creamy potato base just as much as the seared tuna. Causa is a Peruvian preparation of seasoned mashed potato, often served with seafood or other fillings. SUYO’s version included tuna salad, smoked mayo, Andean furikake and spiced potato, topped with thick slices of tuna with deep red centres. A bite with the fish, potato and mayo brought the whole dish together.
One of the mains we had was the 12oz Bone In Iberico Pork Chop which came with Andean potato, peanuts, chocolate and autumn greens. The pork had a browned crust, and the peanut and chocolate accompaniments gave the dish a nutty richness. Chocolate may be an unexpected ingredient with pork, but it made sense here. I appreciated the greens between bites of the meat and sauce.
The Branzino Chicharron was a Chinese-Peruvian feature with crisp European sea bass, XO fried rice, yu choy and daikon encurtido (pickled daikon). I enjoyed the contrast between the crisp fish exterior and the softer rice. The daikon brought a welcome tartness to the plate.
Our drinks ranged from cocktails, wines to zero-proof options, served in an assortment of glassware and ceramic vessels. Some arrived with foam or elaborate garnishes. The different presentations made it fun to see what was coming to the table next.
For dessert, we tried the Chocolate and Lucuma Tart with peanuts, salted maple ice cream and brown butter. Lucuma is a South American fruit with flavours often compared to caramel and maple, making it a good fit with the chocolate and peanuts. I liked having a little of the salted maple ice cream with the tart to balance the richness.
The Camu Camu Panna Cotta was a fruitier finish, served with spiced yogurt crème, coconut horchata granita and citrus medley. Camu camu is a tart Amazonian fruit. The smooth panna cotta and icy granita gave the dessert a pleasing contrast in texture, and the citrus was refreshing after the grilled dishes.
I enjoyed the range of flavours across the meal and would recommend giving SUYO’s new fall menu a try.
SUYO Modern Peruvian
3475 Main Street, Vancouver, BC.
