Jaguar Ceviche Review – Peruvian Approved Ceviche
If you’re in the mood for different Latin dishes, then Jaguar is the place to go. Opening its doors in 2005, Jaguar Ceviche was the first restaurant of its kind in Coconut Grove featuring a multitude of dishes from Latin America created by the talented Mexican Chef Oscar Del Rivero. The dishes are unique, fresh, and will certainly leave you feeling satisfied. Jaguar also offers an array of signature cocktails and boutique wines from Argentia, Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil.
This was my first visit to Jaguar Ceviche, but will certainly not be my last. I fell in love with the interior of the restaurant and upon walking in you are generously greeted by the staff. I was lucky enough to try several of the dishes and cocktails Jaguar Ceviche has to offer. I started my journey off with the Chicha Sour, made with pisco, homemade chicha morada, fresh lime juice, and an egg white. The cocktail gave you a sweet hint of the famous Peruvian drink made from purple corn, chicha morada, mixed with a generous amount of pisco. This was my favorite drink of the night.
The next drink I ordered was the Margarita de Jamaica. This drink had a VERY generous amount of their homemade infused hibiscus tequila, mixed with triple sec, and fresh lime juice. The cocktail was beautifully adorned with a rim of black salt that added to the presentation, and a wedge of fresh lime.
The first course consisted of a classic ceviche sampler, hamachi tiradito Peruvian nikkei, and quinoa salad with grilled octopus. The ceviche sampler consisted of six different ceviches accompanied by the salty and delicious Peruvian fried corn, cancha. Some were spicy, some were creamy, and some had avocado in it. They were all delicious and light, the way ceviche should be. Coming from a Peruvian family, it’s very hard for me to find a ceviche dish that satisfies my palate. I was pleasantly surprised that the Mexican chef Oscar was able to create such delicious ceviche creations.
Next was the Peruvian Nikkei. It was amazing! Definitely a new favorite from this restaurant. The Hamachi tiradito was light, topped off with zucchini and small salty balls that all came together beautifully in the dish. The nikkei also came with fried corn that added a crunchy texture.
I absolutely LOVE grilled octopus! So…. Naturally, I loved the quinoa salad with octopus dish. To start off, the presentation was beautiful. The plate was colorful and elegant. The quinoa was perfectly seasoned, mixed with yellow corn and cherry tomatoes. It was topped off with a mixture of sliced red onions and orange bell peppers, and accompanied by perfectly grilled octopus.
Next was the second course, which consisted of Mexican lasagna, Brasilian vatapa of mariscos, and Venezuelan asado negro with chuck steak. The Mexican lasagna came in a generous portion over a black bean sauce. The “lasagna” was replaced by corn tortillas, with chicken, beans, corn, and a delicious red sauce between each layer. The dish was topped of with gooey, bubbly melted cheese. All the flavors of Mexico were perfectly represented in this dish.
The Brasilian vatapa had all the seafood you could think of. There were chunks of fish, calamari, lobster, and more fish! The mariscos were perfectly cooked and seasoned. As with the lasagna, the portion was very generous. The vatapa lay over a creamy yellow sauce and was garnished with fresh cilantro.
The Venezuelan asado negro with chuck steak was probably my favorite dish of the night. It came alongside maduros, fried sweet plantains, which gave the salty dish a sweet component. The meat was juicy and tender, practically melting in my mouth with every bite. I had to go back for seconds with this dish.
I ended the night with dessert. The night would not have been complete without a little bit of sugar and espresso. Everyone knows that we have a separate stomach for dessert, right? So… although I was full from all the delicious food I was served, my dessert stomach was empty and ready to be fed. For dessert the chef prepared an assortment of small bites which were picks off of the Jaguar menu. First was the banana cheesecake with a caramel sauce and sliced almonds for garnish. I was hesitant to try it at first because I’m not a fan of banana flavored desserts, but it ended up being my favorite. The cheesecake was creamy and thick, but did not have a strong banana flavor. Unfortunately a small bite was not enough for this delicious dessert. The plate also had flan (pictured in the middle), which I’m usually not a fan of but this one was pretty good. The flan was topped of with a crunchy bark made of sliced almonds, raisins, and more sugar. There was also chocolate cake, which had a strong cocoa flavor, and a fluffy whipped dessert that was wrapped in a crepe and topped of with a caramel sauce.
The Jaguar Ceviche night ended with a gift from the Jaguar Hospitality Group. They were kind enough to send us home with a gift card and a jar of the restaurant’s famous homemade salsa. The perfect compliment to an already awesome night!
