The following is an excerpt from one of our favorite bloggers, Melanie Galarce of Mitch & Mel Take Miami, on her visit to La Mar at The Mandarin Oriental.  The full article can be read on their blog through the link http://mitchandmeltakemiami.com/la-mar/

Few restaurants in Miami offer the opulence and culinary experience that La Mar does. The restaurant that carries the name of celebrity chef Gaston Acurio helms locations in Mexico City, Colombia, Chicago, and San Francisco, as well as in our own backyard inside the Mandarin Oriental located on Brickell Key.

With killer views of Miami, the restaurant is spearheaded by Executive Chef Diego Oka, a seasoned chef of Peruvian and Japanese descent who has more than 10 years of experience working with the brand. Oka is the kind of guy you want to be best buds with, not only is his demeanor cool and down-to-earth but he’s firing up the best of novo-Andean and Asian-Peruvian fusion at his La Mar gig. That’s the type of food you should expect to enjoy, including traditional seafood ceviche in the form of small, tapas-style and large plates.

In mid-June, the team at La Mar invited us to try their new menu and we were blown away. The dishes are thoughtful and offer a fresh take on Peruvian cuisine classics. To follow is our vivid recap of the fusion rendezvous.

We started the journey with a Peruvian Pisco Sour, which just happens to be one of our favorite cocktails. The drink is a light, fluffy, and airy libation with sweet notes of sugar and lime. If you’ve never had a Peruvian Pisco Sour, you’ll want to give this a try and set all other pisco expectations very high.

Ceviche Veggie

Sunchoke Leche de Tigre, Aji Amarillo, Radish, White Asparagus. Heirloom Cherry Tomato

There are few vegetarian dishes that make my heart pitter patter, but this is most definitely one of them. It’s as vibrant in color as it is in flavor.

Ceviche Lujoso

Lobster, Smoked Avocado and Serrano Chili Leche de Tigre, Cancha, Sweet Potato, Choclo

I’m calling this dish the apotheosis of ceviche. Breaking almost every mold of trite ceviches dishes, this lobster rendition soaks in Peruvian favorite like choclo (corn) and the citrus marinade of leche de tigre. If you’re a ceviche aficionado, this will be the dish to try.

Pesto Causa

Basil Causa, Octopus Tartare, Peruvian Botija Olive Sauce, Roasted Peppers

If you ever doubted that potato can be a dish of surprises, Chef Diego’s Pesto Causa will be the rendition to prove you wrong. This seasoned mashed potato with octopus tartare will offer the most innovative potato dish you’ve had to date.

Conchitas a la Parmesana

Cheese Foam, Scallops, Lime

Less is always more for me, and this dish is the epitome of that belief. With very little, it manages to stand out as one of the best of the night. All you need is a fresh set of scallops, 22 month aged parmesan cheese (I’m sure this helps) and lime. The combination offers a killer seafood dish that will put every other scallop you may have had to serious shame.

Swordfish

Miso Anitcuchera, Grilled Broccolini, Sesame

Although swordfish is not necessarily my choice of fish, this adventurous version gives the otherwise firm meat a hint of sweet and juicy flavor.

To continue reading more about Mitch & Mel's visit to La Mar follow link to their site http://mitchandmeltakemiami.com/la-mar/ 

La Mar at The Mandarin Oriental

500 Brickell Key Drive

Miami FL

305 913 8288