Suggestions of 5 of the best restaurants in the world to visit in May

We will present suggestions of some of the best restaurants in the world that can be great experiences to visit in May:

Central – Lima, Peru

The restaurant of chefs Virgilio Martínez and Pía León is a sanctuary for everything Peruvian, including many ingredients that are rarely served elsewhere. The team, husband and wife, has been traveling across the country for several years to obtain interesting and exclusive products from land, sea and mountains.

Martínez and León like to play with the many varieties of corn, potatoes and much more obscure products that Peru’s vast biodiversity landscape offers. Classics include Terra do Milho and Extreme Stems, and newer dishes, such as Waters of Nanay, with piranha fish served on which is served an entire piranha head with sharp teeth. The menu explores all altitudes, from 20 m below sea level to 4,100 meters above it, in more than 17 courses.

The Central has moved from its original location in the Miraflores district of Lima to a new home in the artistic neighborhood of Barranco, where Malena Martínez will conduct her Mater Initiative research project from a larger base. León opened its first solo restaurant, called Kjolle, in 2018 in the same location. In early 2018, the team opened the Mil restaurant in Cusco and now they have their eyes set on a project in the Amazon in late 2019.

Mugaritz – San Sebastián, Spain

Mugaritz is a playful, avant-garde and highly innovative restaurant. It is a creative gastronomic experience developed by Chef Andoni Luis Aduriz with the aim of opening minds. Aduriz frankly admits that not all of his dishes are made to be enjoyed by diners. The dishes on the 20-30 course menu – which change over the course of their eight-month season – carry exciting names like “How long does a kiss last” or “It depends on how I see it”.

It is a 20-minute drive from San Sebastián to Errenteria, a traditional Basque country house, complete with wooden beams and walls, to experience a mind-blowing variety of aromas, flavors, textures, temperatures and even sounds.

Mugaritz is not for the weak. Based on a rich tapestry of Basque ingredients, Aduriz turns them upside down to serve crab on a frozen tongue, raw pork heart or bellota ham bathed in perfectly synchronized musical dishes for all diners to eat and orchestrate together.

Arpège – Paris, France

One of the few cooks who has remained at the top of global cuisine for decades, Alain Passard, needs few introductions. He has held three Michelin stars at Arpège for more than two decades, in times of great personal and culinary changes, and in 2019 he was awarded the Chefs’ Choice Award, sponsored by Estrella Damm.

In 2001, Passard announced that Arpège – until then a meat institution – was becoming a vegetarian and, although the meat returned to the restaurant in smaller quantities, vegetables still occupy the main stage. They arrive daily from Passard’s own farms and appear on customers’ plates shortly thereafter.

Despite being a constantly changing menu, Passard has managed to gather a series of exclusive dishes over the years, some so famous that customers reserve the first taste of white asparagus in the spring or the arrival of black truffles in the fall months in advance. Other signature dishes include dumplings stuffed with seasonal vegetables and crayfish and caviar carpaccio.

Disfrutar – Barcelona, Spain

Sandwich gazpacho? Crispy egg yolk? Liquid salad? Bonbon hare? If these seemingly paradoxical dishes don’t pique your interest, then Enjoy is not the restaurant for you. But for most of those who attend this unique restaurant in Barcelona, ​​these surprises are part of an exciting gastronomic experience.

Three chefs – Oriol Castro, Mateu Casañas and Eduard Xatruch – all of them held important positions in the creative culinary team of the legendary El Bulli before the restaurant closed in 2011. The trio opened the most casual Compartir in Cadaqués on the Costa Brava in 2014, before to add Enjoy in Barcelona to the mix at the end of 2014.

In contrast to the hyperactive and avant-garde menu, which can reach more than 30 dishes, the room looks relatively simple and serene: full of light, white and open to a terrace. The overall design is no less creative, however, incorporating a ceramic-lined tunnel effect as guests travel from the narrow entrance area almost through the busy kitchen to the wider restaurant space.

Enjoying managed to write its own gastronomic history, delivering bold and fun dishes full of flavor and intelligence. In 2017, he received the Miele One To Watch award from the 50 best restaurants in the world and, in 2018, he made his debut on the list itself as the highest entry in 18th place.

Maido – Lima, Peru

Born in Lima, chef Tsumura, was encouraged by his father to turn his passion for cooking into a profession and, after studying culinary arts in the United States, went to Japan to learn about his cultural and culinary heritage. He spent many months washing dishes before learning vital skills with the knife and, eventually, how to cook rice and make sushi.

When Peru finds Japan on the plate, Nikkei is born – and chef Mitsuharu ‘Micha’ Tsumura is King Nikkei. This translates into a welcoming place, where fresh fish and sauces full of citrus reign. It is no wonder that it was elected the Best Restaurant in Latin America in 2017 and 2018.

Tsumura’s Nikkei Experience menu is a journey through Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood. There’s succulent marinated cod in miso with crispy nuts, nigiri sushi, sea urchin rice, the now legendary beef rib cooked for 50 hours and even tofu cheesecake ice cream. Everything sings with flavor, zing and the vivid natural colors that come from the production of Peru. There is also a separate sushi counter and menu for regular or business customers.

Article Written by Luís Leão