During my recent trip to Ecuador, I had the pleasure of dining at one of Quito’s (and arguably Ecuador’s) finest restaurants. NUEMA is helmed by chefs Alejandro Chamorro and Pía Salazar, whose talents manifest in dishes celebrating the biodiversity of Ecuador through contemporary and innovative approaches.

For the evening, we sat at a large, family-style table and began the first of seven courses, accompanied by various Ecuadorian wines. One unique feature of this dining experience was, with each course, they also brought out the ingredients used in the dish, presented in their raw and true form for us to better appreciate how they became incorporated into each plate.

© Aoife O’Riordan

The first course consisted of an avant-garde take on the oca plant, native to the Andes and similar to potatoes. It was colorful and unusual, but the flavor was earthy and delicate. One of my favorites was the second dish, NUEMA’s take on a tuna ceviche, accompanied by Sacha Inchi and a condiment made from corn and peanuts and mixed with spices. The fish was smooth like butter and the sauce was one of my favorites of the evening, offering a nutty finish.

The seafood theme continued into the third dish with melloco, a starchy Andean plant served atop an oyster. Slightly briny and salty with that more vegetable-forward finish, it was one of the surprises of the night for me, as I am often on the fence about oysters.

© Aoife O’Riordan

One of my other favorite dishes was the trout, garnished with a regional shrub. It’s hard to beat the fresh seafood in Ecuador, and this trout further proved that. One of the vegetarian courses consisted of cauliflower within a spicy sauce called neapia, giving the cauliflower an intense and smoked flavor. Crisp cacao added a welcome crunchy texture to the dish.

© Aoife O’Riordan

I never thought I would eat any part of an ant, so when I dove right into the next course, I was shocked to learn the white fish was adorned with the ink and essence of, literally, “big butt ants.” Because each course was accompanied with presentations of the raw ingredients, we then saw the small dish in the middle of the table filled with the dried ants. Many of us then opted to taste the dried ant on its own and, after getting over the initial fear of the look, found the texture and taste rather pleasant. Someone at my table equated it to tasting somewhat like popcorn.

© Aoife O’Riordan

The dessert defied my preconceptions of what a sweet finish should be. Instead of being smacked in the face with something overly sugary, we instead were presented with a neutral dish of a mushroom-centric, pastry-like concept and a light, umami-rich broth to sip alongside it. It was not what I expected and yet left me feeling satiated and not sickly from too many sweet things.

While Ecuador doesn’t have any Michelin-starred restaurants because inspectors have yet to visit, NUEMA would undoubtedly make the theoretical Ecuador Michelin list.

NUEMA

Bello Horizonte E11-12 y,

170517, Quito, Ecuador

tel 593 99 250 9160