Overlooking one of Quito’s most historic and iconic squares, La Vid Restaurante brings fine Ecuadorian flavors and dishes plaza-side. The restaurant celebrates local ingredients with a more modern twist, leaving you wanting more of both the food and the views.

© Aoife O’Riordan

We dined right next to one of the expansive and open windows, giving us a prime seat of Independence Square, where churches, monuments and palm trees framed the area. The day was sunny and our servers attentive and happy.

For a starter, I opted for creamy potato soup, a traditional Ecuadorian dish originating from the Highlands. Fresh cheese and some pork rinds topped the soup, and it was surprisingly light and delicate, not overwhelmed by heavy cheeses.

My main was cairucho, an ancient Andean recipe with your choice of chicken breast, beef tenderloin or plant protein (I went for the chicken breast), accompanied by steamed potatoes, peanut sauce, white rice, lettuce and avocado. It sounds simple in theory, but, as a dish where each ingredient is placed on the fork, made for an unbeatable medley of flavors on the tongue. I also have a soft spot for peanut sauce of any kind, and it was neither salty nor sweet, celebrating the peanut in its truest form.

© Aoife O’Riordan

Dessert continued honoring Ecuadorian flavors and ingredients. Native to the Andes, the naranjilla is a small citrus fruit, and the fruit is the star of the canelazo, a naranjilla mousse covered with dark chocolate and truffle. It was tangy, not sweet (just how I like my chocolate) and the perfect intro to the fruit.

Even the drinks are special. Because we ate here for lunch, I chose to get a juice instead of a cocktail, and I was so glad I did. My pineapple coconut juice was more of a slushie, and I enjoyed every last sip of it, giving me that refreshingly cold and fruity craving on that warm day.

© Aoife O’Riordan

If I return to the city, I hope to visit for dinner to sample even more of the menu and, perhaps next time, try a cocktail … or two.

La Vid Restaurante

Venezuela Oe4-56

170401 Quito, Ecuador

tel 593 99 821 7555