Peruvian restaurant La Mar by Gastón Acurio to open in Dubai

A globally known Peruvian restaurant brand, La Mar by Gastón Acurio is the latest culinary addition to The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, set to open towards late 2020 on The Palm in Dubai.

Located at mezzanine lobby level in The Royal Atlantis Resort and Residences, La Mar by Gastón Acurio will be the first traditional cebichería in Dubai. With a casual elegance and easy-going vibe, the signature features of La Mar will include an open kitchen, cebiche bar and an anticucho grill, where Acurio’s team of expert chefs will prepare marinated fish as well as tiraditos, causas and marinated anticucho skewers.

La Mar’s menu will deep dive into traditional Peruvian seafood dishes, anchored by Acurio’s celebrated Peruvian cebiche, which is made to order and combines the freshest, sustainable catch with a leche de tigre citrus-based marinade of lime and ají peppers. Additional signature fare will include a selection of sharable causas; mashed potato dumplings topped with seafood, tiraditos; a Peruvian style of sashimi and anticucho, comprised of popular Peruvian street food including chicken thighs, veal heart and octopus in potato cream. The long list of superb signatures will also include ribeye chimichurri, braised, slow cooked Asado cheeks and crispy pork shank. To complete the experience, La Mar will be home to a comprehensive cocktail programme including Peruvian classics infused with Pisco, a Peruvian grape brandy, and iconic cocktails with a Peruvian twist.

“Dubai is perhaps one of the cities with the greatest gastronomic activity in the world. The best restaurants and the most renowned chefs can be found in Dubai sharing their proposals and concepts with cosmopolitan diners who value and enjoy gastronomy as an activity that unites people and cultures. In that sense, it is an honour to be present with a Peruvian culinary embassy, and join the different Peruvian restaurants that today represent us in Dubai. To do it in such an important and commanding place as The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences is simply the best way to do it,” says Acurio.

All staff at La Mar are trained to contribute towards Acurio’s mission to educate diners on where their food is coming from and all fish served in the restaurant will be sustainably sourced to alleviate over-exploited fish species. Diners will be invited to enjoy fresh, daily sourced produce used to create dishes that are ever changing and adaptable to what can be sourced in that day.

The restaurant’s contemporary design and elegant interior celebrate the authentic and diverse flavours of Peruvian gastronomy. Inspired by the design of a ‘Fisherman’s Wharf’, guests will be greeted with a high cane ceiling upon entry with natural light spilling in from floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Palm Island via a large open terrace. Natural materials such as iron, cement, wood and stone complement a warm colour palette of marine blues, green, sandy grey and beige evoking a sense of the ocean at every turn. Handcrafted and locally sourced tableware will emulate rock, coral, the seabed and shimmering fish scales.

“La Mar by Gastón Acurio will be a very special addition to not only The Royal Atlantis but the dining scene in Dubai. I am certain guests will embrace the opportunity to discover Peru through Acurio’s fresh ingredients and recipes and we are proud to welcome a restaurant that operates with sustainability at its core. We look forward to Gastón Acurio joining the likes of Costas Spiliadis, Gordon Ramsay, Nobu Matsuhisa, Heston Blumenthal, Giorgio Locatelli, José Andrés and Ariana Bundy, further enhancing the Atlantis’s positioning as the culinary destination in the region,” adds Timothy Kelly, executive vice president and managing director, Atlantis Resorts and Residences.

Synonymous with his country’s cuisine and largely responsible for having successfully brought the nation’s fare to the global stage, Acurio opened his first restaurant in 1994 and began transforming Lima into the culinary capital of South America. Now with over 50 restaurants worldwide, including three in the US, Acurio has won the hearts and stomachs of worldwide food lovers with his unparalleled cebiche, unique Peking-style guinea pig pancake and desserts inspired by his childhood.