Highly anticipated ‘Suyo’ officially opened in Mount Pleasant on August 25. Led by Chef/Partner Ricardo Valverde, who named the restaurant after a South American Indigenous word that means “homeland”, Suyo honours Valverde’s family heritage and country of birth. After moving to Canada from Peru at the age of 18, he was quickly drawn to the world of fine dining and subsequently worked in some of Vancouver’s best kitchens: Blue Water Cafe, Cin Cin, and Ancora among them.
To round out the all-star Suyo team, Valverde is joined by industry veteran James Reynolds as General Manager (La Buca, Blue Water Cafe, La Regalade), award-winning Bar Manager Max Curzon-Price (Botanist, Clarendon Cocktail Cellar UK); and tech entrepreneur Felix Ng as Director of Operations. Together, these four have cultivated a menu and ambience that makes for a first-of-its-kind experience in Canada.
To step inside the 49-seat restaurant at 3475 Main Street (formerly the home of Slickity Jim’s Chat ‘n’ Chew) is to be transported to a modern South American oasis complete with lush jungle greenery, natural-wood detailing, and a golden bar evoking the importance of gold in Incan history. The elegant main room is complemented by a 20-seat private ‘Nazca Room’ tucked away in the back; it features artwork inspired by Peru’s Nazca Lines, a group of pre-Incan geoglyphs etched into desert sands. The whole space was designed by Evoke International Design, and both rooms can be booked for private events.
When crafting the menu Valverde paid homage to classic Peruvian dishes while also highlighting the many global influences in Peruvian cuisine, including Chinese-Peruvian, also known as Chifa; Japanese-Peruvian, also known as Nikkei; as well as Italian and Spanish.
It’s a menu well-suited to a table of share-plates to feast upon, and diners can expect to see familiar South American ingredients (quinoa, dulce de leche) with the lesser-known (aji hot peppers, lucuma fruit), as well as a twist of the unexpected (crispy nori, quail eggs), all complemented by the highest quality produce, choice cuts of meat, and sustainably sourced seafood. In an important step towards waste reduction, the culinary team repurposes kitchen scraps whenever possible, re-incorporating them as ingredients in syrup infusions, garnishes, and the like.
As for the dishes themselves, modern Peruvian shows itself in bold flavours and textures, with the menu led by, though not limited to a range of seafood offerings. Highlights include Nikkei Tartare with steelhead trout, crispy nori, cucumber, avocado and aji Amarillo pepper; Aji di GallinaRavioli (a take on the creamy Peruvian chicken stew) with parsley oil, Grana Padano, cashew nuts, and black truffle; Short Rib Seco with white beans, endive, chicha de jora and modern salsacriolla; Sudado de Pescado and more; as well as a selection of fresh ceviches.
Meat-free options include Summer Squash Tiradito with charred tomato, quinoa pop, corn leche de tigre; Ensalada Rusa, made of avocado, beets, young carrots, green beans and smoked aioli and a Cauliflower Steak served with quinoa tabbouleh, chickpea pepian, chimichurri and charred carrot. To finish, a selection of desserts include the King Kong, made with pineapple compote, sable, and whipped dulce de leche, and the Chocolate Tres Leches topped with strawberries and whipped, caramelized honey.
To sip, there is (naturally) an excellent Pisco Sour on the menu—indeed, Pisco-lovers will appreciate that the bar offers all eight varieties of the spirit—along with a selection of cocktails inspired by the elements common in five geographic regions of Peru: The Heart of Civilization; the Amazonian Rainforest; the Andean Mountains; the Pacific Tides; and the Coastal Desert.
Located at 3475 Main Street, Suyo is open for dinner service as of August 25 during the hours below, and will open for lunch and brunch soon. Reservations can be booked now at Suyo.ca.
- Tuesday – Thursday: Dinner from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Cocktail Bar until 12 a.m.
- Friday and Saturday: Dinner from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.; Cocktail Bar until 1 a.m.
For more information or to stay up to date on all the latest news, visit Suyo.ca, and follow @suyorestaurant on Instagram and /suyorestaurant on Facebook.
