While in Miami, we (Chris especially) loved the food served in this Peruvian restaurant, Cvi.che 105. We went twice during our stay in town !
The restaurant’s name is derived from its speciality, ceviche and street number on N.E. 3rd Ave in downtown Miami.
Started with a dish of crunchy, roasted corn nuts (ever so slightly salted) – cancha made from a special variety of corn called maiz chulpe. Don’t remember eating it anywhere before. Addictive. Great with drinks.
I(Chris) like ceviche and the restaurant Sushi Samba where one can reliably find some variations of ceviche. This is part of our dinner on the first night.
Ceviche is typically made from fresh raw fish marinated in citrus juices, such as lemon or lime, and spiced with ají or chili peppers. Chopped onions, salt, and coriander, may also be added.
My ceviche main course for the second night. White wine sangria !
At Cvi.che 105, boiled sweet potato(the orange cube on the plates) was served as an accompaniment. I did not expect sharp tasting raw fish could be paired so well with sweet root vegetable. More corn.
It is very well known locally. There appears to be a line outside the restaurant all the time. We had to wait on both visits, each on average for about 15 minutes. They placed benches outside the restaurant where the waiting customers can study the menu. Ranked #24 of 3,534 restaurants in Miami by Tripadvisor.
The chef Juan Chipoco is young and he walked around the restaurant amidst all the chaos, birthday celebrations, and loud music. He also owns another restaurant next door called Pollo & Jarras – it is less popular but I(Chris) think it has potential. Too bad we did not have time to try it. It was quite highly rated online. This is our starter for the second night – it looks a bit murky but the stir-fried squid/octopus was great tasting.
The restaurant has a bar and an open kitchen where the ceviche dishes are being assembled. The dish with the pink sauce is octopus carpaccio with an olive dressing – we will order it when we return next time.
We also tried tiradito which is a traditional way to serve very thinly sliced raw fish (with roasted and fresh corn). According to Wikipedia:
Tiradito is a Peruvian dish of raw fish, similar to sashimi and carpaccio, in a spicy sauce. It reflects the influence of Japanese immigrants on Peruvian cookery, and differs from ceviche in the way in which the fish is cut, and in the lack of onions.
Apart from fishes and crustaceans, it also offers a variety of Peruvian food including many stir-frys as well as potato-based dishes.
We cannot judge the authenticity of the recipe as some may be the Peruvian chef’s own invention using traditional ingredients such as corn and a Peruvian grape liquor called Pisco 100.
The restaurant walls are decorated with plaques won by the chef and framed magazine pages about the restaurant. There are some traditional handicrafts hung on the walls too.
We definitely will go back to Cvi.che 105 when in Miami.
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