La Bodega de la Trattoria

July 11, 2015

Milaflores, Lima, Perú – As we walked out of Huaca Pucllana museum and archeological site, we passed by this restaurant. The idea crossed our minds to stop here for lunch. One of the misconceptions I really need to shed is thinking any restaurant with the name ‘trattoria’ in it automatically means ‘expensive’. (In reality, a trattoria is the opposite – informal and inexpensive). For this reason, we kept on walking down the street. Soon I had second thoughts. I had heard that Italian food in Perú is excellent, something that must be experienced. Curiosity (and sensibility) took over and we went back to the restaurant.

La Bodega de la Trattoria has seven locations in and around Lima’s many districts, including this one here in Milaflores. The restaurant sits in a red building with a green awning over the patio. It is fronted by shrubs in planters that kind of frame the front of the building. Cream-colored accents bring out the windows and other parts of the building. Seems to represent the colors of the Italian flag. Moon-shaped decorations can be found hanging from the trees out front.

It was kind of busy when we arrived but we were greeted promptly. We elected to sit on the patio. Though we didn’t spend much time inside, I did notice the floor was composed of red and yellow triangular tile. Guess it is in homage to the Moche people. The patio is enclosed in clear plastic. Mild weather today made it a very nice day to sit out there. This gave us a chance to see the people of Lima as they walked and drove by. It was kind of a lazy afternoon and we did not feel rushed. We were able to take our time and enjoy the meal while appreciating being here in Lima.

Our server came by not long after we sat down. I tried to converse with her in Spanish, but it soon became apparent that my attempt was subpar. Nevertheless, I was still able to communicate my order… or so I thought.

The menu is varied. It took a few minutes to decide what to get. I remembered having Osso Buco once before from a gourmet catering truck in the States. It was surprisingly good. But I wanted to see what it tasted like from a sit-down Italian restaurant. So that was my first choice. No question that wine would be part of the meal. Dessert? Let’s see what happens after lunch.

We each had a San Mateo agua mineral sin gas (non-carbonated mineral water). We learned a few days ago that when you order bottled water here in Perú, the default is carbonated water. You have to ask for non-carbonated, or sin gas, if you want plain water.

For my wine, I decided to try a Peruvian Malbec. The Caracter shiraz-malbec (Caracter Shyrah-Malbec) (s/28 (Nuevo Soles) 1/2 liter carafe) looked interesting. When I saw this on the menu I thought, “Cool! A Peruvian Malbec.” I wanted just a glass. What came to the table was a half-liter carafe, which my wife made me drink 3/4 of. Guess I need to work harder on my Peruvian Spanish.

The Malbec was slightly sweet, yet still robust. The notes lingered on my palate for a while. It paired very well with the Osso Buco. Turns out it was an Argentinean label, not Peruvian.

My main course was Osso Buco (Ossobuco de la Bodega) (s/54). Served bone-in, it is covered in sauce. Very tender, as osso buco should be. The menu says it is braised “for hours in white wine until it falls off the bone.” Even though it was fall-off-the-bone tender, it could have been braised just a tiny bit longer. Excellent flavor in the meat. The wine in which it was braised really got in there and worked its magic. Way better than the catering truck. I liked the sauce, too.

Osso Buco comes with tagliattelle al burro, which is basically Fettuccini Alfredo, just not swimming in Alfredo sauce. It is garnished with a single sprig of cilantro. The tagliatelle tasted freshly made and was cooked al dente. Distinct buttery flavor. Perfect! I was very glad to see the ample portion size of the meat and pasta.

As we dined, I found myself stealing glances at some of the other patrons’ meals as they were being delivered to their tables. Excellent presentation on all of them. La Bodega gets some points for that.

After polishing off the meal, there was still room for dessert. Choices here are plentiful,

as with the other courses offered on the menu. Tiramisú won out. They have a couple of types here. I went with the House Tiramisú (El Tiramisú de la Bodega) (s/19), which is their version of tiramisú. It has two layers each of moist cake and cream. Good flavor of the tiramisu itself with a bit of coffee flavor coming through. The plate it is served on is decorated with chocolate syrup, while the tiramisú is topped (loaded is probably a better description) with chocolate shavings. Initially, I thought this was another plus since Perú is known for its chocolate.

Chocolate lover that I am, I never thought I’d ever utter the following words: too many chocolate shavings ruined this dessert. The chocolate began overpowering everything else. I had to scrape off some of the shavings. (Not one to waste good chocolate, I did eat them after I finished the tiramisú). Don’t get me wrong. Chocolate on tiramisú is a nice touch and would have been a wonderful garnish had there not been so much of it. La Bodega could probably use 3/4 less chocolate shavings and still have a great dessert. With that said, after a few bites, the flavor of the tiramisú changed. The cake just tasted wet with not much flavor. Weak coffee, maybe? A palate over saturated by chocolate? Whatever the cause, it detracted from an otherwise excellent meal. Beautiful presentation, though.

Dining here was a great introduction to Perú’s take on Italian cuisine. I enjoyed getting to experience yet another aspect of Lima’s world-famous gastronomy. We left full, satisfied, and ready for our rather long walk back to our hotel.

La Bodega is easily accessible but sits in an odd location. It is on kind of like a side street connector road between two major thoroughfares. Obviously that is not affecting business because everyone seems to know exactly how to get here. I can imagine how busy this place can get in the evenings.

La Bodega de la Trattoria – 4.5 forks. Highly recommended. Be sure to try at least one of their house specialties.