Ministry of Foodies Review
Cuisine: Peruvian
Average price per person: 60€
Environment: 9/10
Food: 9.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Other: Terrace, gluten-free options
Website: www.quispe.es
Quispe is a modern Peruvian restaurant that is considered one of the best in Madrid. Here you can find some of the best classic Peruvian dishes with small twists and influences from other cuisines.
It was on my list for a long time so we visited on Sunday for dinner.
Location/Environment
The restaurant is located in Salamanca. It has different dining rooms, including a covered kind of terrace, a few tables outside, and a couple of smaller dining rooms.
The design is modern and elegant both in terms of decoration, but also the table setup.
Quispe – Menu
The menu includes all the classic Peruvian dishes such as ceviches, tiraditos, causas, and other typical options like the Lomo Saltado.
There are influences from other cuisines including Japanese. Showcasing the cultural relations, Quispe includes a few makis and nigiris as part of its menu.
In addition, there is cocktail list that includes various pisco options.
Service
The service was professional and there was a relatively good pace between the dishes. Nevertheless, one of our waiters did not have a pleasant attitude and looked practically annoyed that he had to be there.
My friend ordered a cocktail after I did and got it first, while mine arrived after the first two dishes were served.
We also noticed that when they were setting up the table next to us one of the staff members grabbed the spoon from the top part and not the handle to set it on the table. On our table, they placed the spoon for one of the dishes next to it (not on top) while there was no placemat on the table. Those are small details but showcase the hygiene standards of a restaurant.
Quispe – Food
We started with a sea bass tiradito. It had nice acidity and texture from the salmon eggs and the vegetables. Very fresh and vibrant.
Following that, we got the causa with shrimp which was probably my favorite dish. Causa is a well-known Peruvian dish that includes layers of mashed potato and some kind of meat or fish topping. We got the one with shrimp, avocado, and quail egg. On top, there was a spicy sauce with aji. Great flavor combinations and textures.
The stuffed potato (papa rellena) was made from mashed potatoes and was filled with sirloin ragou. Then the ball is coated with panko, fried, and served with quail egg and aji amarillo sauce. As expected a bit heavy but delicious.
For the mains, we opted for the Lomo Saltado. This classic stir-fried sirloin was served with delicious and crispy Creole potatoes and vegetables. The sirloin was cooked to a perfect medium and the sauce was really flavorful. A must try at Quispe.
The last dish was the crispy sea bass collar with vegetables, mild aji amarillo sauce and corn rice. The fish was well cooked and if you enjoy eating the fish of the bone, this is for you. The sauce however was a little too mild and did not add a lot of flavor to the fish.
Finally, we opted for the chocolucuma, a dessert with lucuma fruit and different chocolate textures. It could use some acidity from berries or other type of fruits to have more contrasts in flavor.
Conclusion
Quispe has some very strong dishes and interesting flavors on its menu. It is a restaurant I would gladly visit again to try more dishes and order again some others like the causa. I would say that the food is almost equal to that in Llama Inn which is my personal favorite for Peruvian cuisine in Madrid.
Visit: August 2024
Address: Calle del Conde de Aranda 4, Salamanca, 28001 Madrid