I’ve recently been thinking about Peru; mainly because one of my friends is currently on holiday there and keeps posting these amazing updates and photos on Facebook. Sadly, however, I am not in Peru and have not yet been there. But I have now had the pleasure of trying Peruvian food for the first time, at the newly opened Cholo’s in Dickson.

I first heard about it from one of my friends, who’d been eagerly waiting for it to open since she’d seen a black plastic sheeting appear in the window with the words ‘Cholo’s opening soon! Authentic Peruvian cuisine!’ painted in big white letters on it. The plastic sheet has since been replaced by pictures of alpacas and Machu Picchu.

I have to admit I didn’t (and still don’t) know that much about Peruvian cuisine, except that they eat guinea pigs. That was confirmed when I was messaging one of my friends (who has actually been to Peru) about my plans to go to Cholo’s, and they said I should ask if Cholo’s served cuy. Suspicious, I asked what cuy was, and was promptly sent this picture:

I was relieved to find that Cholo’s does not serve cuy (although I’m not sure why I would mind eating it, given I quite happily eat rabbit, frog’s legs, snails (with lots of garlic) and even enjoyed raw horse meat in Japan). What they do have is a selection of pork, chicken, beef and fish dishes, with some vegetarian options. My dining companion on this occasion was my brother, who had also never tried Peruvian food, so we decided to go with some of the waitress’ suggestions, along with one dish I liked the description of.

The first thing to arrive at our table was a beef empanada, which also had egg inside, and which was really, really tasty, both the pastry and the filling.

Next up we were presented with ceviche, which we were told was a typical Peruvian dish, consisting of fish (in this case ocean perch), spiced and cured in lime juice. The perch was served with Spanish onion, celery and coriander. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ceviche, but my brother didn’t mind it and I think my mum would really like it, so I might take her to Cholo’s next time she comes to visit.

After we’d finished our entrees, a massive plate with half a chicken was placed on the table. This was the house specialty, the Pollo a la Brasa: roasted Peruvian style charcoaled chicken served with papas, fresh green salad and chilli sauce. One of my aforementioned friends had had the Pollo a la Brasa when she went to Cholo’s and insisted I had to try it.

My brother had the first taste, and actually exclaimed with surprise when he took his first bite. I thought it was because the chicken was hot and he’d burnt his mouth, but no—apparently it was because it was really, really good. Given his reaction, I thought I’d better see for myself and yep, he was right—it was delicious!! The chilli sauces that came with it (one green, one yellow, I’m not really sure what was in them), went really well with the meat, and actually weren’t hot at all, which was good for me as I’m a total chilli wuss.

When the pollo first came out my brother and I thought we would struggle to eat it, and fit in the other dish we’d ordered, but we got through the chicken (and a lot of the chips) probably far more quickly and easily than we should have. While we were finishing it off, our other main arrived. This was the Lomo Saltado, a beef stirfry with spanish onion, tomato and coriander tossed through crispy potato fries served with rice. It looked exactly like its description. It was nice enough, but a bit of an anti-climax after the deliciousness of the empanada and Pollo a la Brasa.

After polishing off both dishes (we ended up having to leave almost all the salad and half the chips), for once I was way too full for dessert, so I’m going to have to go back again because some of the desserts sounded amazing.

So, having never been to Peru or tried Peruvian food before, I can’t vouch for the authenticity of the food at Cholo’s, but I can say that it was tasty, and that my friend was right—definitely get the chicken!

The essentials

The place: Cholo’s
Where: Shop 68, 12 Challis St, Dickson
When: Lunch every day except Sunday, 10am to 2.30pm; dinner every day, 5.30pm to 9pm.
Food: Peruvian
Drinks: Soft drinks, wine, beer and something called Inca Cola
Contact: Call 02 6248 8648, visit the website at www.cholos.com.au or check out their Facebook page.