Location: El Monitor 188 y Quiteño Libre, Quito, Ecuador (+593) 22252248
Kind of Food: Contemporary / Latin-American Haute Cuisine
Price Range: I honestly have no idea since we were invited to dine there as guests. But TripAdvisor says $18-$35.
What I ordered: We had a especially created 10-course gourmet meal designed to be paired with 7 different wines. Among the dishes served were Duck Carpaccio with Passion Fruit Sauce and a side of goat cheese, Grilled Octopus, Crayfish-Avocado Salad, Grilled Tuna with Sichuan Peppers and Passion Fruit Sauce, Duck Confit, Taxo Sorbet, Swordfish with Pineapple served over White Carrot Chips, Chilean Sole and Oysters with a light lemon-garlic sauce, Shrimp Ravioli, Chocolate Mousse with Raspberries and Dark Chocolate sauce, Passion Fruit Creme Brulee, Apple-Caramel Spring Roll.
Comments: I think I died and went to heaven after last night´s meal. We joined some American friends that were leaving today for a last meal in Quito at Alma Restaurant. They brought the wine, Alma provided the food. I will begin by saying that our hosts´superb wine selection set aside, the experience at Alma was marked because of its perfect (and I do mean perfect) wine and food pairings - a feat remarkable in itself when the Chef had not opened any of the bottles for inspiration and did the pairings on sheer culinary knowledge. Unbelievable. As for the dishes, they were all fantastic. My personal favorites were the Duck Carpaccio with Passion Fruit Sauce and a side of Goat Cheese as well as the Passion Fruit Creme Brulee. The Duck Carpaccio simply made my day because I haven´t had the chance to have Carpaccio in over 6 years because of a pork allergy, and so being able to savor it again (albeit made from Duck) sent me over the moon. The Passion Fruit Creme Brulee was a delightful surprise - I´m not a huge fan of Creme Brulee as it tends to be far too sweet for my taste, but the Passion Fruit infused it with a shot of acidity that gave it a much more complex (and less sweet!) flavor. I also had a ball with the Tuna with Sichuan Peppers and Passion Fruit Sauce. The roasted Sichuan Pepper gave it a smoky, hot, and slightly oriental flavor that reminded me of cooking dumplings in Beijing and that flavor was complicated by the sweet undertones of the Passion Fruit. That paired with a peppery Syrah was just absolute heaven. Admittedly, dinner was a blur (7 wines do take their toll) but I would say it is one of the best meals I´ve had ever. So if you are ever in Quito and in the mood for some fine Latin American Haute Cuisine, Alma is a definite must.
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