Save
On 10 August, chef Pía Leon will open her first solo restaurant, Kjolle, in Lima after a decade on the pass at Central with husband Virgilio Martínez.
Named after a Peruvian plant, Kjolle will, like Central, draw on the work of research group Mater Iniciativa, led by Martínez’s sister Malena and will, Leon tells us, offer “another take on Peruvian products, producers, the land and the people … The menu will be very seasonal: some a la carte, some tasting menus.”
However, she’s keen to stress the restaurant, situated above the newly relocated Central at a new site in Lima’s Barranco neighbourhood, is far from a casual version of the three times Latin America's Best Restaurant.
"We can’t get away from Central because the team of Kjolle has been the Central team, and I am part of Central," she says. "Similarities will exist, but the background is totally different."
Leon and Martinez have recently opened another new restaurant too, MIL, high in the Andes at Cusco, though unlike there, Leon says she will not be exploring altitudinal biodiversity at Kjolle.
Take a look at a section of dishes from Kjolle, with descriptions where available, below.
All images: César del Rio
Duck, squid, Kañihua (above)
Mamay (above)
