If you're a fan of food, gastronomy or restaurants, you might have heard of Central in Lima, Peru.
For those who aren't in the know, Central has been rated among the best restaurants in the world.
Matter of fact, the World's Best Restaurant List has it ranked as number two globally, bested only by Geranium in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Central was founded in 2008 by Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez Véliz and is focused on ingredients and food indigenous to Peru, with a modern fine-dining twist.
When you dine at Central, you get the option of a 12 or 14-course meal and, if you're feeling extra fancy, you can also get wine pairings with each dish.
Based on reputation alone, when planning a trip down to South America I made a special point of having a meal at Central, opting for the 12 course meal without drink pairings.
And let me be clear, I'm someone who is regularly taste-testing McDonald's and Popeyes rather than foie gras and caviar, so this was not an average night out for me.
Matter of fact, to help save up for this meal, I didn't eat out back home (or do anything) for months leading up to it.
But, despite the over-$400 bill per person, it was truly a life-changing decision for me that was worth every penny. Why? Well, let me tell you.
It made me think about where my food comes from
A bowl of fish from the Amazon.
Tristan Wheeler | Narcity
Often when you're in a restaurant, you're presented with food without a lot of context. A burger has meat from somewhere, made with lettuce from another place and a bun made over there, somewhere.
But at Central, every dish was placed in its context. All of the food was based on different elevations and the foods, from herbs and veggies to meat and seafood, you find at those elevations.
What's more, all of the food is stuff that has been foraged for your consumption, based on the foraging practices of the people who have lived in Peru for thousands of years.
Every ingredient had a story and we were told those stories and the reasons they were prepared the way they were by the servers.
This experience and education has already changed my thinking. Now, whenever I'm out in the world, like a forest, desert or more, I'll always think to myself "What is edible out here?"
It was a one-of-a-kind experience
The interior of the restaurant.
Tristan Wheeler | Narcity
If you've never gone to a high fine dining experience, it's almost exactly what you'd expect and then some.
Before sitting down we were led through a garden and shown a giant stone table of ingredients, all native to Peru. The host described them and what they were before we were promptly whisked to our seats.
In the main dining area, there were only about 10 tables, each one sleek and distinct. Ethereal music softly played in the background and the wait staff were the most attentive I've ever seen.
Each guest was even provided with a book of different materials to feel with our fingers, inspired by the menu.
Moreover, each dish had its own special plate and bespoke eating utensils, all of which were part of the dining experience.
For example, while paying I put my bag on the ground next to me and in an instant, the bag was placed on a little wooden pedestal by the staff.
If you've seen the movie The Menu, it's honestly a lot like that.
As for the food? Well.....
The food was the best I've ever eaten
A dish from Central.
Tristan Wheeler | Narcity
Okay, this might seem obvious given Central so well regarded, but it was truly amazing to actually experience.
The meal was a total of 12 "experiences" categorized by the altitude at which their ingredients are found. We started below sea level, before eating food found at over 4,000 metres above sea level and then going back down again.
And each bite, dish and dip presented flavours that I'd never tasted before in my life. Combinations of tastes that seemed to be both at odds and in harmony.
I had some of the most delicious bites of seafood I've ever had, amazing tastes of vegetables I've never even heard of, and tangy fish caught directly from the Amazon River.
For dessert, we had a cocoa plant served up in roughly five ways, each using a different part of the plant via techniques I could never even dream of.
It's hard to explain, but I truly felt as though I'd tasted the entire nation of Peru after one meal. And I don't mean I tasted the food of Peru, I really mean I tasted Peru.
The mountain tops, the jungles, the ocean and the rivers were all served up at Central.
It showed me food can be art
A plate of stones and a type of Peruvian potato.
Tristan Wheeler | Narcity
All of these things together showed me how much fine dining can be art.
And I think that was exemplified in the first thing we ate. It was a "texture" bite called Black Rock. It was made out of I-don't-even-know and it had sprigs of seaplant sticking out of it. It was supposed to exemplify 10 metres below sea level.
Taking a bite, it felt like you were eating mud with a bit of an ocean taste mixed in. It didn't really taste "good." In fact, the person I was eating it with said it tasted like "shit." But, at that point in the meal, tasting good wasn't the point.
Allow me to get highfalutin for a moment.
When I was eating Black Rock I thought about filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard's movie, Britsh Sounds.
The movie features, among a lot of other artsy-fartsy things, a sequence where the viewer is forced to listen to the ear-splitting sounds of a factory floor for several minutes. It's not pleasant or fun to watch, but with it, the movie is saying "Oh! So you want to see what it's like to work at a car factory? Well, guess what, it's as loud and as horrible as this all the time for these workers."
And this is what I think Central was doing with Black Rock.
Black Rock was kind of gross and isn't something I'd want to eat again, but with it, Central is saying "Oh! So you want to know what it's like to taste a country? Guess what, that means eating something that tastes like dirt from the ocean floor."
And while that might sound gross or weird to you, but for me I think it's an awesome artistic statement.
Of course, it is like comparing apples to oranges, but there are very few places like Central in Canada that I've been to.
From top spots like Canoe in Toronto or AnnaLena in Vancouver, eating out in Canada has never felt so indebted to the location or, quite frankly, as good as having dinner at Central. Even if it did mean me living on ramen for a few weeks.
So, if this article has piqued your interest at all, just be sure to book a table in advance. Like, months in advance.
Because it's surprisingly hard to get a reservation at one of the top restaurants in the world.
But, I promise, it's all worth it.
Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill.
Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill.
Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill.
Cioppino's Mediterranean Grill.