Archives for category: Restaurant

Local farmers come to visit

August 24, 12 //
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By Stephan Post, Launch General Manager, Palacio Nazarenas

Last Monday, three representatives from Peru’s Agrarian Investigation Institute came to visit us at the hotel. They then joined our chef, Virgilio Martinez, on a tour of the Sacred Valley, meeting some of the farmers and their communities in what are often remote and inaccessible areas.

Chef Virgilio Martinez toured the Sacred Valley to meet farmers and source new ingredients for his kitchen.

Chef Virgilio Martinez toured the Sacred Valley to meet farmers and source new ingredients for his kitchen.

The trip resulted in a real harvest of ideas. So much so that we’ve invited the farmers to visit us here at Palacio Nazarenas, to demonstrate their products and skills. Starting next week we’ll be welcoming around 12 growers of native plants known for aromatic oils. Four more gatherings based around other crops are planned for the following weeks.

Any guests who are interested in unusual local produce are welcome to drop by. We’re all expecting to make exciting new discoveries that will find their way onto our Senzo restaurant menu and into treatments at Hypnoze spa.

Cheers to Jhony!

June 28, 12 //
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By Stephan Post, Launch General Manager, Palacio Nazarenas

There’s no better way to finish off an exciting day exploring Cuzco than with a cocktail by our Barman, Jhony. We’re delighted that our first guests have been exploring some of his more unusual creations. Jhony is known for mixing the meanest pisco sour east of Lima, and is always eager to share his secrets for success with anyone who wants to follow his lead. But he has also devised a range of individual cocktails especially for Palacio Nazarenas guests.

Jhony serves spectacular drinks beside the pool

Cusquenian Sunset is already proving especially popular. It’s a combination of tangerine juice and aniseed-macerated pisco, laced with cactus-seed syrup—perfect, he says, for those spectacular evenings when the skies over the Andes flare up red. Another winner is Hot Sacred Valley: a blend of cherry- and coffee-macerated piscos, Arequipenian lucuma liquor and espresso coffee. Jhony says it’s best enjoyed outdoors, by the light of the moon.

In the unlikely event that none of Jhonny’s cocktails tempts your fancy, just let him know your favourite flavours and he’ll magic up a cocktail especially for you.

10 Amazing Days

June 25, 12 //
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By Stephan Post, Launch General Manager, Palacio Nazarenas

The last ten days have passed in a whirl, as Palacio Nazarenas has settled into life as a hotel. On our first day we held an opening ceremony, with a blessing by a priest. This was hugely important to us, as we are a religious building—a former convent with a mural of Christ that is revered by the people of Cuzco.

All guests were invited to a welcome cocktail and muña tea in the library, where one of our team gave a short presentation on the story of the hotel.

Near the front desk there is a wooden turntable that the Nazarenas nuns used to sell sweets and embroidery to support themselves. By placing items on this rotating device they could sell their wares without being seen. Marzipan was one of their most popular items, so on the hotel’s opening day, we set out some marzipan treats on it for guests to try.

Since opening, we have continued to train staff and fine tune our service. We’ve also had the enjoyable task of trying out the new menu at Senzo restaurant by chef Virgilio Martinez. We’ve now worked our way through all the dishes—a really exciting experience.

Taste sensations at Senzo restaurant, by chef Virgilio Martinez

Fresh from the Farm

June 14, 12 //
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By Virgilio Martinez, Chef Director of Palacio Nazarenas

I’m excited to tell you that that Palacio Nazarenas is working with an exceptional farm at Urubamba in the Sacred Valley to feature its produce in Senzo restaurant. Its name is La Salle and it is run by Americo Herrera Pezo, a friend who has been passionate about growing quality, organic produce ever since he was a child.

Americo told me how he grew up in the Sacred Valley before cars and trains arrived, and how his father taught him that growing everything naturally was the only way to farm. The connection he has with the earth and his work goes beyond gastronomy.

Americo Herrera Pezo at his farm in Peru's Sacred Valley.

Americo Herrera Pezo at his farm in Peru's Sacred Valley.

Not only that—Americo is keen to discover new and unusual produce, which means that even guests from Cuzco will discover tastes they’ve never had before. He will supply us with some amazing local vegetables together with cheeses and dairy specialities.

His uniqueness relies on the fact that no trends affect him; he has no interest in recognition or labels. Every day my friend reminds me of the connection between cooking and the earth. He is an example of working without expecting anything in exchange. Just passion to do what he knows.

Look out for Americo’s produce on our new menu, which I’ll tell you about soon.

Be surprised by potatoes, herbs and salt

March 16, 12 //
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By Virgilio Martinez, Chef Director of Palacio Nazarenas

When you come to Palacio Nazarenas you’ll be able to enjoy many different dining experiences. Breakfast will be prepared to order, lunch will be an Andean bistro and evening is the time to relax with our tasting menu or to discuss with the waiter what you would like to eat. I can promise you that Senzo will be like no other restaurant you’ve visited. It’s the first to take Cuzco produce and to use it in innovative ways.

Regional herbs such as muna, arrayan and menta sierra will be key ingredients. You’ll see them growing all around the hotel and be able to breathe in their scent. And for seasoning I am passionate about the many different types of salt from the salt pans of Maras in the Sacred Valley.

What are some of our not-to-miss specialities? There’s a dish I call “Malaya at 3000 metres with eucalyptus emulsion and herbs from Jardin Nazarenas”: this is a popular cut of meat, cooked with an infusion of eucalyptus leaves and herbs and flowers from the hotel garden. A leg of baby Cuzco lamb would also be high on my list. And everyone should try out a range of potatoes and compare their different tastes and textures. Tomatoes from the Andes have a unique flavour, too. I’m also working with a local community to source a cheese flavoured with eucalyptus—a really exciting taste.

Researching new recipes and ingredients

February 22, 12 //
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By Virgilio Martinez, Chef Director of Palacio Nazarenas

I’ve spent a lot of the last three years travelling around Peru to track down its best ingredients and the experts who can help me to use them in new and exciting ways. For instance, one expert specialises in infusions based on herbs from the Sacred Valley. Others know everything there is to know about Andean potatoes and river fish.

All our produce featured at Palacio Nazarenas will be organic: the only “chemistry” is the scientific work that we do in the kitchen to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with nature at its best. I’ve a huge library of books and do a lot of research into recipes and new cooking styles. One of my team is working full time, meeting farmers and communities around Cuzco to discover new ingredients and ways of cooking them.

I’m not interested in repeating classic Peruvian dishes. For Senzo, our signature restaurant, I want to unearth unusual ingredients around Cuzco and to take them to new levels, to release their full potential.

Creating innovative Cuzco cuisine

February 15, 12 //
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By Virgilio Martinez, Chef Director of Palacio Nazarenas

Chef Virgilio Martinez and his colleague Pia Leon who are sourcing local organic produce for Senzo restaurant.

Kilometre 0. (Or maximum 100!) That’s my concept for Senzo, the main restaurant at Palacio Nazarenas. Don’t expect truffles, Parmesan cheese or even fish from just off the Lima coast. My focus is on local Cuzco producers: a gastronomic feast from the Andes, its land, lakes and rivers. This unique environment, 3,000 metres above sea level, is rich with extraordinary produce including 2000 types of potato and countless herbs, including at least 100 that don’t even have a name. I’ll be presenting these in an exciting, avant-garde way.

In addition to this local produce, Palacio Nazarenas will have its own garden. Guests will be able to see vegetables growing, immediately before they arrive on their plates.

Senzo at Palacio Nazarenas will be all about exciting new discoveries. For instance have you heard about Cuzco’s airampo fruit? It’s a type of purple prickly pear. Check out my Facebook page for a recipe here.

I hope you’ll join me on this adventure: is there any ingredient from the Cuzco region that you are keen to try?

Our Tableware

October 13, 11 //
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by Stephan Post, General Manager Hotel Monasterio and Palacio Nazarenas

This week we’re looking at the tableware that we plan to use in our signature restaurant. We’re focusing on designs that match the spirit of the hotel: refined, artistic, contemporary and with an element of surprise.

Among the front-runner choices is cutlery by Marcel Wanders, a designer from The Netherlands, for leading French company Christofle. The classic shapes of each knife, fork and spoon are enlivened by intricate patterning, which reminded us of the delightful designs that one sees on traditional textiles throughout Peru.

What do you think of our choice?

Cutlery