Austin Monthly Dips Into Peruvian History With Yuyo’s Food

Austin Monthly’s Jolène Bouchon is the latest to review El Chile Group’s Peruvian restaurant Yuyo, and she was pleased overall. Calling the menu “well-curated,” she explored the country’s Chinese, Incan, and Spanish heritage through food.

Like Melanie Haupt at the Chronicle, Bouchon particularly loved the quinoa-based quinotto, a “risotto-like” dish with a sauce of aji amarillo (“a Peruvian yellow chile pepper with a low, rumbling heat”) that made for a satisfying vegetarian dish. She also praised dishes that called upon Peru’s crops, like the “addicting” cancha (chili-dusted corn nuts mixed with popcorn) and tropical fruits like passion fruit and cherimoya that turn up in cocktails and desserts.

She enjoyed the Chinese influence in the lomo saltado, a “hearty South American–inflected stir-fry,” and saved special praise for the ceviche:

Yuyo’s chef de cebiche, Marilyn Morales, has offerings ranging from the clasico—tangy and delicate chunks of striped bass prepared with lime juice, and dressed with hot, lemony ají limo slices, seaweed, and micro cilantro—to the bright and luscious Tiradito Nikkei, kanpachi (amberjack) sliced sashimi-style, dressed with a citrus-soy sauce and topped with a salsa criolla.

However, some dishes “fell flat” according to Bouchon, like “somewhat bland” chicken empanadas and mixed service. Bouchon also noted that many were concerned with the price point of Yuyo, but she personally found it worth it, overall.

ON THE BLOGS: ATX Eats and Treats dined at North Italia and proclaimed the chicken parmesan a winner. So Much Life Blog discovered the homemade tortillas at Matt’s El Rancho and found that, “Happiness is sizzling beef fajitas and a cold Mexican martini.”

• Restaurant Review: Yuyo [Austin Monthly]
• All Coverage of Yuyo [EATX]