The World's Number One Restaurant in 2023 - Central, Peru (Virgilio Martínez)

180 ingredients and 50% of them are unknown. This is a trip without a trace. Welcome to Peru. Everything starts with knowledge and supply of land. When we learn, we'll have a lot to learn. We'll go around to find out what makes Central different. It's hard to describe this sight, but I'll tell you a story. So, everything will happen soon. We were searched in the center and taken to the Inca ring. Go around the country. For the nearby city of Cusco and the first city of Machu Picchu. It was the center of Inca trade. The ship of Moray looks like an open water tunnel. Temperature and water conditions vary from country to country. To challenge and learn. We've met some people. who are central to making Virilio's restaurant unique. We saw some of the ingredients they grow and heard the stories behind them. It's hard to put into words how amazing it felt to see the roots of Peru. To be up there with people who are so connected to nature. It's here that we meet a gastropioneer and begin our culinary journey. Our host is Chef Virilio Martinez. Chef Virilio enrolled at the world famous Cordon Bleu Culinary School and graduated in 1998. Then he went to work in France, Italy, Singapore, the US and the UK mastering a range of cuisines. Then he took a position with Peruvian super chef Gaston Akirio. He helped Gaston build a fine dining franchise. The opening of new restaurants in Bogota and Madrid. It was a vocation back home that would send Chef Virilio in a totally new direction. At a market in Peru, he noticed many ingredients that did not exist anywhere else in the world. It was a Eureka moment. A calling to cook food that belonged to his land and his people. Now you know about the chef. Let's go back to the sacred valley for a little while. Also in Moray is one of Chef Virilio's projects. The food lab and the interpretation center called Mil. It's more than just a restaurant. Here they work with indigenous people to grow, ferment and distill ingredients. We had lunch here. It was our first taste of Virilio's kitchen. And it led us one step further into Peruvian culture. Chef Virilio is a man of few words. But he radiates a ton of positive energy. It shows in his focus, discipline and passion. Dedicating himself to preserving the heritage and tradition of Peruvian cuisine. This already felt like we were on the verge of something truly incredible. We were surprised to learn that Virilio is much more than a chef. He and his sister Malena founded a scientific research organization back in 2013. It's called Mater. Their objective is to preserve the biodiversity of ecosystems in Peru. They collect and analyze the thousands of plants growing in Peru. And sometimes discover new ones too. It's the beating heart that gives Virilio's kitchen the special ingredients they're known for. The day after, we're back in Lima. We make our way to the bohemian neighborhood of Barranco. That's where we find our restaurant for today, Central. The walls surrounding the garden give it a tough, industrial look. Inside couldn't be more different. It's an oasis. With smiling faces and a botanical garden. Waiting for us is a selection of the ingredients that will go into our lunch. Each one grown and cultivated by Chef Virilio and his team. I don't know half of this stuff and I can't wait to try it. Inside we find a bright, casual restaurant with minimal decor using natural materials. From trees coming through the floor to the woodwork in the ceiling and plants everywhere. Everything at the table looks like the work of artisans. As well as the actual tables. These are amazing. I once said that my favorite tables were at Core by Claire Smith. But these are very strong contenders. The ambient music is slow and calming. It creates a feeling almost like a church. The menu here at Central is really something to marvel at. Each course showcases an ecosystem at a specific altitude. With 14 courses, they can barely scratch the surface. The Earth has 103 ecosystems. And 84 can be found here in Peru. Of the world's 32 climates, Peru has 28 of them. In other words, Peru is mega diverse. Here at Central, they take you on a gastronomic tour of the diversity of Peru. Virilio opened Central in 2008 with his wife, Pia, who is also head chef. Putting Virilio's ideas into action. Together, they launched the Altitudes menu in 2012. Next year, Central made it onto the world's 50 best restaurants list. In 2015, they were catapulted to the number 4 spot. And last year, they reached number 2. In 2023, they reached number one. However, they don't have any Michelin stars. The Michelin Guide doesn't operate in much of Latin America. It was announced in 2014 that they would be expanding to the region. But at this time, only cover Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil. To go along with the Altitudes menu here at Central, there are 3 drink pairs. One with international wine, a local spirit and wine pairing, and a juice pairing. We go for one of the local pairings. The Altitudes menu is €250. And the drink pairs from €50 to €115. Our first course is called Black Rocks. The ingredients are found 10 meters below sea level. These are all bites made with seaweed, clams and squid. Three different flavors with the same ingredients. It shows the diversity in the menu and sets the tone for our meal. Notice the lack of fancy tableware. It's all locally sourced and one of a kind. It adds a spiritual connection to the experience. Our first drink pairing is a cocktail with coastal distillate, cucumber melon and sea lettuce. For juice, it's cucumber, melon and leche. The drinks are fresh and natural in taste. For the second course, we go 600 meters above sea level. This course is called Dry Valley. It's a shrimp biscuit with squash and avocado. It has a beautiful creamyness and the crab brings in some sweet and fatty flavors. This dish is brilliant. It was paired with a Viventavino's Chardonnay and a Brazilian Moscata. It's an interesting wine and different from what I'm used to. We climb to 1350 meters to the high rainforest for our next course. It features Papavoladora potatoes and yacon root. Papavoladora is Spanish for flying potato because it grows from a tree instead of the ground. There are two dishes with this potato. The red vegetable on top is hibiscus which gives the dish a nice acidity. A servo drizzles from yacon root onto the plate and we were invited to use our fingers. The presentation here is really exciting. Mixing these flavors was a first for me but also delicious. For drinks, Moscata from Valladol Bío Bío in Chile. This is a skin-contact wine. It's a white wine that's turned orange because the grape juice has been allowed to stay in contact with the grape skins. Although I don't usually go for Bío wine, I was happy to try it. Our next course is called Extreme Altitude and we are at 4200 meters above sea level. In front of you, we prepared five different types of corn. If you visit the high altitude in the Andes mountains, you can find a different variety of corn. Warm corn porridge is covered in kivicha, which are caviar-like balls that belong to the quinoa family. It's finished with crispy red and green potato leaves. The mixing of textures is really nice and the flavors are dynamic. For drinks, we have high altitude wine from Marcello Vaca Flores. It's from Bolivia. It is stored in a traditional vessel made of clay called an amphora. I admire their deep respect for the heritage. It's a natural wine and it has some nice cacao flavor. For our next course, we're going down 15 meters below sea level for a dish called Warm Sea Current, featuring grouper and razor clams. Removing the top reveals razor clams with fried grouper. Words cannot express how interesting this experience is. Next, we go up to 148 meters for the Amazon Connection, Not to the rainforest, but to the river. The arapaima is one of the largest river fish in the world. It is found in the Amazon River and can grow up to 3 meters long and as big as 200 kilograms. We had the fish's belly served with two kinds of food. This orange one is made with cecina. Cecina is a smoked and cured pork from the Amazon as well. And this one in black is made with tucupi. Tucupi is a fermented root vegetable. It's also from the jungle. The flavors were out of this world. The centerpiece they bring to the table is amazing. and shows us what the fish looks like. It's not for eating, it's really a piece of art. It's paired with a Peruvian Chardonnay from 2012. It's a refreshing wine with fruit aromas. Our seventh course is on the ground level. It's called Blue Green Ocean. It's shellfish, seaweed and cucumber. Three different textures of shellfish. Purple and yellow sweet potato. And a foam made of sea urchin. We are instructed to drink the foam while eating the dish. The textures were nice and the flavors were intense. It was paired with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from Argentina. At the halfway point, we are given a small tour to understand the work Chef Virilio and his team have been doing. Everything here comes from local communities throughout Peru. And Chef supports them by using what they make in his restaurant. It really demonstrates his love for his country and people. Our eighth course brings us under the sea once again for the octopus. This course is called Sea Brain Algae. The octopus usually hides in the coral and this dish represents that. On top, there's a seaweed crisp and underneath it is a diced octopus and seaweed. The giant blackened octopus on the table was to show us how majestic this animal is. This was another stunning dish with incredible ideas behind it. Before we can blink, our ninth course arrives. It's 3,600 meters above sea level. It's called Millab and it's native potato, beef and egg. What looks like caviar is actually algae from a mountain lake. Chef Virilio then comes out to serve asparagus and potatoes. Cooked the traditional way, under a heap of hot rocks and soil. It allows us to make a connection with the food and where it comes from. - That's great! The Peruvian potatoes were served with a thick green coriander dipping sauce. Lovely flavors. It's very new and very exciting. The pairing is a juice with herbs from the mountains that locals use as a tonic for aches and pains. It's full of antioxidants. Our tenth course was perhaps the most impressive. It takes place 140 meters above sea level in the Amazon water. I didn't know this, but not all piranhas eat meat. Some are vegetarian. They eat plants and nuts that fall into the water along the banks of the Amazon. They show the scene in the centerpiece of piranha heads, pointed up as if waiting for food to fall. The fish, along with some of the plants and nuts they eat, are the next course. The dish made me think about the food chain and the circle of life. The flavors are breathtaking. I like the acidity and crunch. It is served with a beer from a local microbrewery. It works perfectly with the fish. Number eleven is our last savory dish. It takes us to the Andean forest, 2700 meters in the air. Colorful slice of alooko over tender pork belly in a sweet sauce, with a dried mushroom spiral on top. It's quite fatty, but despite the lack of acidity, I really liked it. The flavors are fresh and alive. It's paired with two red wines. One is almost 20 years old, from Peru. It's a blend of red grapes from the Ico Valley, from Tacama. It has notes of paprika and truffle. And the other is over 40 years old, from Uruguay. It's from Bodega Cerro Chapeau, made from 100% tannin grapes. They only have 6 bottles of one and 12 of the other. As we are told, these wines were a gift from a local wine collector. Next, we have two sweet courses at the same time. Sacred Valley and Moray, 2836 meters. Moray is a granite with jelly pieces using the cabuya, a plant used by the Incas. And the Muna leaf, which had a minty flavor. The second is a fruit called Chirimoya. Below is a sweet purple pudding. The wine pairings are signature small batch wines, made in-house. Then we were invited to join a station where we were given a taste of lightly fermented drinks using the cacao fruit. I discovered some interesting new flavors. The white one was my favorite. I can drink it all day long. Our final course today is 1800 meters above sea level. It's called Cacao Chuncho. Five ways to enjoy cacao. We tried one that uses the white flesh around the bean. One with seeds and bits of shell. They were all good in different ways. Nothing like what I've tried before. Like all good things, they must come to an end. My heart and my stomach are full. This was a journey like no other. It was a beautiful experience. I learned about the culture, the food and the biodiversity of this unique country. I met a great chef and his team. Who are ambassadors of Peruvian culture and cuisine. Making the world a better place for their people. And opening the eyes of guests like me. We need more people with this way of thinking. The world needs it. Dining at Central is so much more than eating at a restaurant. It may not be a place you come back to every week. But it's definitely a place you need to experience. It's an adventure that will warm your soul. And that's it for this episode. Thank you for joining me. If you like this video, hit the subscribe button. See you next time. See you in the next videos.