Astrid y Gaston, Lima

Dinner at Astrid y Gaston was a most magnificent experience.  From the journey in the cab ride, seeing the beautiful San Isidro area, to the last dessert plate, our senses were given a jolly ol' treat.  It is worth noting that the restaurant has moved to the Casa Hacienda Moreyra, wonderfully outfitted in a swanky neighbourhood.  We almost went to the Miraflores location but thanks to the Dawg we made it to dinner at the right place.  They used to have an a la carte menu, but now it is a full tasting menu, of which we had one cocktail (part of the menu) and 28 or so other courses.  Here is a picture of the menu together with a book they made describing the various compartments of the dinner.

The stark white building was gorgeous on the outside, with a beautiful garden.

We got to see their test kitchen in the distance and they allowed us in their actual kitchen which was a treat, but the experience was not quite as informative as NOMA in Denmark since they explained a lot more about their process there.

The dining room was very well furnished, clean, modern.

The food was prepared meticulously.  Our server explained to us that a lot of the dishes were custom made by local artists, which I think is really special.  It seems like molecular gastronomy is really popular now - a lot of the dishes were created by making the foods into powders and then reshaped or recreated into the form that was presented to us.  The presentation was unique and gorgeous.  I would say I loved 80-90% of the flavours, which I think is quite an endorsement since I do not generally love this type of cuisine.

If you get a chance to go, go!  Aside from trying the fabulous innovative delish food, try to solve the mystery of how to open the bathroom door.  Took me 3 tries.