A Sumaq Machu Picchu hotel welcome

This hotel has the unusual ability to welcome you with open arms before meeting anyone.  There is a silent open arms welcome that reaches out to all and then the truthful reckoning that they really are as welcoming and warm as one expects.  

These pictures speak for themselves.  The snacks were my welcome in room gift including a mini chocolate fruit fondue  

Inca rail

Our welcome on board piscina sours

Our Next Gastronomical Adventure took place at the Sumaq Hotel in Aguas Calientas, a.k.a. Machu Picchu

A tasting menu at Sumaq Machu Picchu hotel in their Suquy Cafe and Bar, where a team of young chefs  led by Ribellino created the most amazing  meal. 

We started with a delicious cream of Andean tubers garnished with a quisharcancha mushroom duxelles sauce, pachamanca style foam and native potato chips.  

Followed by delicious Puca ceviche of salmon  trout cubes in tigers milk flavored  with Camu Camu and strawberry.  

Then came the first of the two main courses,  8 hour simmered lamb shank in Chicha  de hora, accompanied with native potato gnocchi in a huancaina  and fresh corolla sauce 

Then we had the best risotto au gratin with Andean cheese and Chicllayo duck magret, accompanied by a mix of garlic flavored mushrooms, confit cherry tomatoes and fine herbs.

But it didn't  end there.  Then came the  best yummy deserts,

Lucuma panda Cora, a mocha Peruvian style dessert  and custard apple bavarois with Nutella and almond praline. 

Message to Peru........ I'm gonna have to come back. Food like this can not be forgotten and neither can the people. The culture, the peace, the history, the beauty, the adventure and the love of the people. 

, ,


What an amazing surprise.  New hotel young chef with Relais chateau class service, flavors reminiscent of Michelin star service can only put this hotel restaurant in the # 1 position in Peru.  (Officials  take note)

Off on a culinary tour to the bohemian district of Baranco , Lima

The Gastronomy explosion in Peru probably took off about 5 years ago creating a fusion of different food types that work.  There's  Japanese Peruvian, Chinese Peruvian, Italian Peruvian, African and Creole Peruvian fusions and not to forget Peruvian Ceviche.
My host was Josselin, a chef in her own right with The Lima Gourmet Company.

First Stop was  La Trastien on the coast for Pisco Sours made from the juice of the grapes, lime juice, simple syrup and egg white, and  angostura bitters  That's 84% proof alcohol and what a treat.

We set off  on a whistle stop tour highlighting the many facets of Peruvian food and while I've heard many conflicting references to the number of varieties of food grown here, I like to think that Josselin's numbers as a culinary specialist must be correct, so I'm sticking to her totals. 

Not only is Peru famous for her potatoes, over the years they  have grown  over 4000 varieties of which  they consume 2000, they also grow have grown dating back to early Inca years over  3000 types of quinoa, now there are 5 different color varieties, 55 types of corn with  60% of their fruit and veggies come from the Amazon. Peru is also proud to be a non GMO country  with 84 mini climate zones within a total of 104 different zones. 

Group photo after imbibing on  Pisco Sours made us miss the sunset.- But the liquid sundowner was pretty darn good.

Next stop was to create our own Peruvian  ceviche  of which the base was  plantains that had been boiled for 20 minutes.  It sounds strange but believe me it is was delicious 

. Gaston Acurio is largely acknowledged as the person to leap-frog Peruvian cuisine onto the world scene.  There's a film called Finding Gaston and am told it is currently on Netflix, His own restaurant Astrid & Gaston  is ranked # 33 in Peru and #50 in the World.

But more importantly Lima's Central Restaurant holds the  4th place  in the world and hot on it's tails the 13th best restaurant, Maido is also found in Lima,

Josselin holds a black corn non alcoholic drink. and ex-plainly the flavors of what we are about to eat including Beef heart - Don't think I've ever had  it before - but certainly they way they cooked it it was delicious.

Our group in front of the Inka ruins that owe their evacuation to the restaurateur besides them that uses the profits to help  sponsor   the architects work 
MOre varieties of Piscos Sours

Dessert stop  - delicious ice cream and granata.

Another Fabulous Day in Peru

Have done so much hat I feel as though I've been here 12 days not 2. But, while its hard to share everything in such a short time, gonna concentrate on one of Peru's specialty meals - Guinean pig

First met them in their 'farm'. They live inside the house with their family as too many predictors in the big outside world Then Their raison d'être comes in to play.

A cleaner Athens

It's been 30 plus years since I was last in Athens and while the population has grown, I can't believe how much cleaner she  is. 

No more foggy pollution, marble pavements are clean, taxis are no longer beat up and dented  everyone speaks English or a smidgen which is more than my Greek  and what's more the food is ultra delicious 

Le Mas de Pierre, a truly special boutique hotel outside the village of St Paul de Vence

For several years I made frequent visits to the charming village of  St Paul de Vence in the south of France.  A walled  hamlet medieval town just 20 minutes above Nice airport, so when an invite to not only return to this gem of an area, but also to stay at Le Mas de Pierre my heart leapt. It was the last few days prior to the seasonal closing of this amazing Relais Chateau property, yet the weather and gardens made it feel like September not December .     

I felt the warmth of the property in each corner from the vintage collection of seamstress models to their greenhouse orchid collection, BUT , their service topped all. 

Not only were they there for every need on property but jumped forth in helping me out with my first ever serious travel booboo. I did a no-no, didn't  check the safe in my last hotel room and had left my passport there. The manager, Christian Baumgartner  drove to my last hotel in Cannes collected my passport,  and brought it back the next morning. I can't thank him and the staff at the hotel enough for such amazing support and service as they patiently called the hotel, tracked my faux pas  and sorted it all to have a happy ending.

St Paul de Vence,' famous for it's medieval charm of old stone buildings and cobblestoned streets  also has the most amazing collection of  art musuems and galleries including the Maeght Foundation. Marc Chagall lived in the village for many years and is buried here, naturally there is a lot of his art to see .
The local tourist office offers a selection of 10 different guided tours for group or individual .. Well worth while to chose at least one while
The luxury of having my own suite in the new building of just 6 units also comes with ones' own pool  and cabanas.  .

My one bedroomed suite

The farm to table vegetable garden

The outside of my suite

If I created this I'd have been laughed out of art school

A keep traveling through the suitcase moment.

An amazing herb garden

My welcome and farewell