2023 will see the opening of a new concept by Chef Rafael Osterling; his homonymous restaurant has served some of the best Peruvian fusion food in Peru for the past 23 years, and the fresh Mercado delights eaters of fresh produce since 2010. The new restaurant, Rocco, has an Italian flair with pasta pizza, cocktails, and desserts crafted in-house.
THE SETTING
The restaurant is located on a Miraflores republican house that was reformed on the inside, keeping the outer structure. There are two main areas: the bar always at the entrance, a medium-sized bar that holds up to four bartenders, and eight people who greet you once you pass the glass doors.
Following is the main diner with exposed tables; some are stone, and others are made of wood. However, every table is set, ready to receive you.
THE MENU
Rocco has an Italian inspiration, using high-quality fresh Peruvian ingredients, homemade artisanal preparations, and imports, next to Rafael Osterling, chef Rodrigo Alzamora leads the team with Chef de Cuisine Lukas Sifuentes overseeing anything that comes out.
To start, we ordered the White asparagus on a goat cheese fonduta, a plate portraying the blending of fresh produce and Italian flavors.
Followed by the tonno tonnato, sliced fresh tuna on a tonnato sauce (preserved tuna cream sauce), with sliced capers, pickled onions, and olive oil; each bite is a mix of textures in the mouth, a mix of the soft delicacy of the fresh tuna, a creaminess that covers the mouth of flavor and the crunchy tangy flavor from the capers.
We moved towards the warmer side with Angus sweetbreads Alla Grillia, the perfect contrast of creamy and crispness from the sweetbreads with a lemon vinaigrette, a dash of trout caviar, and sorrel leaves.
The primi (main course) this time consisted of their homemade pasta, which we tried two different: a stuffed Agnolotti di Zucca, the perfect thickness pasta stuffed with squash and amaretti sauce, butter, and sage, also the Spaghettini Pescatore, a pasta with seabass, preserved lemon and Succo Cioppino, a great use of the pacific ocean fish.
If you are willing to try a full plate, the Chita a la Meunière (Grunt Meunière), a take on the French classic cooked with sherry brown butter, chopped parsley, and lemon with a side of potatoes and spinach.
The desserts are decadent; homemade icecream pistachio ice cream comes on a plate with a sprinkle of the same nuts, and the apple desserts consist of a mille-feuille of apple slices covered with caramel sauce and a side of fior de latte ice cream.
THE LIQUID EXPERIENCE
A Staple of Rafael Osterling’s restaurant is the bar has to be the first thing passing the door, and from this, the cocktails flow for the restaurant, a vast array that we have to come and try more than once, Spritz like the trendy Aperol Spritz or the Limoncello spritz, cocktail Della Famiglia, the Penicillin or the Rocco Negroni. Their bartender team is usually part of special activities with guests, pop-ups, or specials.
IN THE KNOW: Rocco Trattoría is located at 501 Colón Street, Miraflores, Open Tuesday to Saturday for Lunch and Dinner, 1 to 3:30 pm, 7 to 11 pm, and Mondays only for dinner from 7 to 11 pm.
