Situated at the back of a non-descript plaza is De Chou. Having grown up near the neighbourhood, I hadn’t heard of the restaurant until a family member recommended it for lunch. Such a shame as it would have been a great high school hangout with their large square tables that comfortably seat ten.

De Chou has a lengthy menu to match with dishes made for a crowd. The kamjatang jeongol ($47.99) is a hot pot stuffed to the gills with pork bones, potatoes, rice cakes, zucchini, and even enoki mushrooms and jalapeno garnishes. The broth wasn’t very salty but still flavourful and once you let the peppers steep into the broth, they add a lovely spicy kick.

Another substantial dish is the steamed pork bo saam ($49.99 for large) where slices of pork belly are kept warm on a hot plate. Diners tuck these soft meat slices into lettuce, Napa cabbage, and turnip with a smear of the savoury bean sauce for a protein packed bite.

Our table was split about the haemui pa jeon ($28.99). The size of a medium pizza, it’s made for a group. Personally, I found it way too thick and didn’t contain enough ingredients to balance out the doughiness of the Korean style pancake.  Conversely, my relatives preferred the heft as it contrasted the crispy exterior and soft interior. I guess it depends if you’re a thin versus pan crust type of pizza lover. I’m firmly in the Neapolitan camp.

I thoroughly enjoyed the crust that develops on the bottom of yachae dolsot bibimbap ($18.99). And the hot stone rice bowl contained a good combination of ingredients to ensure there was plenty of vegetables and beef to go around.

De Chou’s LA kalbi ($34.99) was rather neutral with very little sauce, so you mostly taste the beef. I personally would have preferred more sauce to help caramelize onto the beef ribs, but the older members of the family appreciated the plainness and liked that it was tender.

If you like it saucy, the ddukbokyi or tteokbokki ($15.99) has plenty of it. While it had a decent flavour, I found it a tad tame for my taste. At least, the soft chewy cylindrical rice cakes came with a lot of fish slices. So much so that there was a lot of leftovers after the rice cakes were gone.

In fairness, the popcorn chicken ($12.99) was true to its description, little thumbnail sized nuggets of chicken topped with okonomiyaki sauce. Based on previous experiences with Korean fried chicken, I was just expecting larger bites, like karaage and found these tasteless and dry.

Despite the size of De Chou’s dining room, it started filling up by 12:30pm on Sunday. Luckily, there’s a buzzer at the table so you’re never waiting around for long. And if you’ve read this post to the end, maybe it’s a sign for you to gather a group and introduce them to this hidden restaurant.

Even though I’ve had Peruvian cuisine previously, I’m still surprised by the seemingly varied choices available on a menu. Due to their proximity to other countries, their cuisine has European, Asian, and West African influences, aside from the traditional Inca-based dishes. Moreover, since Peru’s geography has many climates (mountains, rainforest, and access to water), dishes also range from light seafood to heartier grains and meat. This makes Peruvian restaurants an ideal gathering place for groups with varying tastes - there’s so much on the menu that you’re bound to find something that will satisfy picky eaters.

Kay Pacha’s menu is no different, our meal encompassed dishes often found in Argentinian, Mediterranean, Japanese, and Chinese restaurants… with a Peruvian twist of course. Their empanaditas ($12 for 3) are like empanadas but the pastry is not as flakey and a bit harder. The filling of ground sirloin, boiled egg, and olives was delicious. Plus, I’m glad the kitchen left the olives in big chunks, so they could be picked out if necessary. Accompanied by two condiments (rocoto cream and chimichurri), I found the rocoto cream goes well with the empanditas; the sauce has a faint chili taste and is mellower, adding a hint of richness and a wonderful aroma to the pastry.

When you see the ceviche classic ($24), you’ll notice it’s distinctly different from the Spanish and Mexican versions of the dish. Firstly, the ingredients (red snapper, red onion, toasted chulpe corn, boiled choclo, sweet potato puree, yam puree, and leche de tigre) arrive separated allowing someone to remove something they really don’t like. 

After mixing everything together, the sweet potato and yam purees cause the ceviche to turn a bright colour, the dish looks like halo halo but tastes like ceviche… it takes some getting used to. Overall, the ceviche is decent but needs more salt and there’s almost too many crunchy elements for my taste.

The antichucho grilled skewers of black tiger shrimp ($15) were done perfectly, the shrimp tasty on their own or with the hot sauce. It’d be even better if the ribbing on the sides of the sugar peas were removed as the vegetables were a little tough and sinewy.

While the final dishes took a while to prepare, they were worth the wait. The Miami ribs Nikkei ($28) is very flavourful, the short ribs marinated with Chicha and soy sauce, so the meat becomes sweet and salty. Some may find the ribs fatty and chewier, but this is expected with beef ribs and is also heartier than the pork version. Lining the bottom of the plate are “majaco” style plantains, which are deep fried and then stewed so while they’re not crunchy, they contain moisture.

An order of the chaufa de mariscos ($30) goes great with the ribs. The fried rice smells amazing and is filled with large pieces of tiger shrimp, squid, scallop, and mussels. Soy and “chifa sauce” are added to give the rice a sweet saltiness. Just a bowl of the rice would make a satisfying meal. It’s a dish that embodies things I love: fried rice, seafood, wok hay, and bursts of flavours. Ah… Peruvian cuisine, why are you not more readily available?

Overall mark - 7.5 out of 10

• Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
• 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
• 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
• 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
• 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
• 10 - absolute perfection!

• Baro
• Rosalinda