Quispe: when bluefin tuna falls in love with Peru
Summary:
Quispe: when bluefin tuna falls in love with Peru
Quispe provides the proof for anyone questioning whether Peruvian restaurants are in the best of culinary health, with a loyal clientèle eager for the flavours and creations they serve up. At the heart of Madrid’s distinguished Salamanca district, just a stone’s throw from the dazzling displays of Calle Serrano, nestles this venue with different atmospheres, truly authentic traditional cuisine, with chiffa and nikkei touches, and the most stimulating of liquid pairings.
And the highest-quality bluefin tuna provides the mainstay of a versatile, polished menu, with ají the driving force, and authenticity the name of the day. The venture is backed up by the established Grupo Aramburu, with partners and investors who know their way around. In the front line heading up the kitchen, Jeremías Urrutia, with plenty of baggage tied to his apron.
The Andean origins of Quispe
“Quispe means identity, essence and Peruvian culture, our product. It is one of the most famous and representative surnames in Peru, from the days of the Inca empire,” says Urrutia (38 years old, and with some distant Basque roots in his genealogy), adding straight away that the love of cooking comes from his mother, “because we come from Apurima, a province 18 hours from Lima, which is all mountains and jungle, with a tropical climate. And when I was a kid, my mother cooked on a big country estate. We also had a kitchen garden surrounding our house and providing us with our produce, a huge variety of potatoes… dishes such as pachamanga, puchero stews on Sundays, almost like the cocido madrileño here, with chicken and pork; charqui, which is ham cured with pure salt until it’s dry. I spent my early childhood in the kitchen, and so my taste for it gradually flourished subconsciously.”
When he finished his studies, Urrutia began to look into a culinary career seriously, after trying out a few openings in graphic design. He began his catering studies in Lima, where a relative was involved in the trade. Around that time, Gastón Acurio (the Ferran Adrià of the Andes, so to speak) was the idol, the god, the unattainable maestro. “In 2012 I started out as a trainee, and thanks to my skills and attitude, ended up as sous chef. My mentor was Carlos Testino, the nephew of Mario, the famous fashion photographer. He trained me up at Lima 27. I learned the whole conceptual side, the discipline, management, cooking. Everything,” he explains.
Bluefin tuna in Peru
How do they use bluefin tuna back in his homeland? “The good restaurants, like Maido (under Chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura, one of the finest establishments anywhere in Latin America) use bluefin, but there aren’t many, because it’s really expensive in the long run. The others turn to yellowfin from the Pacific, which is smaller, it’s not top-notch, with less fat, but it is more affordable. And when it comes to moving up the divisions or specialising in nikkei, you have to use bluefin. Here at Quispe, bluefin tuna is fundamental. It also gives you the leeway to try things out, almost endlessly. It lends itself to pure creativity, it’s so versatile given all the cuts, the different parts,” the chef argues. “At Ponja Nikkei (Calle Almirante 20, Madrid), which is our other venue, more laid-back, we sell even more of it, in our sashimis, nigiris and maki rolls.”
After opening Waman in Bilbao, he moved to Madrid in 2022 having signed up at Grupo Aramburú, a network of eateries with over 30 years under its belt, and a purely Peruvian hallmark. Quispe now reveals the deep and flavourful footsteps of Urrutia’s journey. “We have established the group’s brands, and Quispe is really on fire. Our cooking evolves each year, we don’t want to get stuck in a rut. Our approach is contemporary Peruvian cuisine, combining identity with tradition, and with a few nods towards modernity. It’s the same at our other venue, Ponja Nikkei, where you will find Japanese techniques and fully seasonal products,” he adds.
Exploring the menu
At Quispe he serves up bluefin tuna tiradito with ponzu, shiso, shiso texture and smoked yellow ají emulsion, but only after we have polished off some outstanding Gillardeau oysters with tuna tartar and Iranian caviar as the finishing touch. A special mention should be saved for the causa acebichada, “with a yellow ají pepper base, creamy rocotto chile tiger milk, avocado textures, and above all a tuna tartar with kimchi. It’s our own really distinctive version,” he adds.
The figures behind Quispe are César Figari, an entrepreneur of Peruvian origin, and his partner, Constanza Connie Rey, an Argentinian architect specialising in restaurant interior design, who set about giving the premises a calmly irresistible ambience, dotted with ethnographic portraits.
In the cellar, Spanish, French and Italian wines, along with plenty of bottles from back home in the Andes. For dessert, the artistry of Valeria Castro can be seen in the suspiros, the tres leches, and even a Basque-style tart. A wonderful finale, which Urrutia rounds off with one closing wish: “We still have to explore the products of the Peruvian jungle, and need to head off there on a journey”.
