Name: Ritz Bar
Contact: 181 Wellington St. W., 416-585-2500, ritzcarlton.com Neighbourhood: King West
Chefs: Jordan Barnett and director of food and beverage operations, Arjun Chetlur Gopi
The food
Dishes that showcase Peru’s many flavours which blend Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, German and West African influences, with the country’s own indigenous Incan roots. Barnett brings in Peruvian ingredients for his own takes on traditional bar snacks, street-food favourites and ceviche.
Complimentary bar snacks include house-made plantain chips and cancha (toasted Andean chulpe corn tossed in lime zest and salt).
Aji de gallina tequeños are Peruvian-style spring rolls. They’re filled with chicken thigh stew, and served with aji amarillo chili sauce. $15.
Anticuchos: skewered hunks of hanger steak served over tacu-tacu (fried beans and rice) tots, topped with huacatay chimichurri and egg, then sided with salsa criolla and a bottle of huancaina (spicy cheese sauce). $22.
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For the Ceviche Classico, farm-raised striped bass is tossed with red onions, chilies and coriander, in leche de tigre. Crispy sweet-potato strings top the dish. $19
Tuna tiradito Nikkei-style: pounded yellowfin tuna topped with a miso-chili marinade, chives, toasted sesame, coriander, Nikkei leche de tigre and squid ink tapioca chips. $21.
Peruvian tres leches cake: vanilla sponge cake infused with cinnamon and milk confit is finished with Chantilly cream, stewed strawberry compote and chocolate puffed rice pearls. $12.
The drinks
Head bartender Jon Niell mixes up house cocktails, all of which incorporate popular Peruvian ingredients, like chicha (a maize-based beverage) and huacatay (black mint). Ritz Bar’s regular cocktail menu is also available—including The 6ix, Toronto’s most expensive tipple.
The Huacatay G&T uses huacatay-infused gin, Pimm’s, grapefruit bitters, fresh rosemary, and tonic water. $18.
Chilcano Mano features eucalyptus-infused Pancho Fierro pisco, house-made ginger syrup, lime juice, fresh ginger, Angostura bitters and orange bitters. It’s finished with with ginger ale. $16.
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Pisco Pasión: Pancho Fiero pisco, passion fruit purée, house-made simple syrup, lime juice and egg white. It’s topped with liquid nitrogen–frozen passion fruit sorbet. $19.
Bartender Jon Niell prepares the Pisco Pasión.
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