Pastuso, Melbourne CBD

When your team loses in the grand final, the only thing to do is eat away your sorrows. I did just that at Peruvian restaurant Pastuso in Melbourne with my dad after this year's AFL decider. Located off Flinders lane in one of its famous graffiti-ed laneway, the first thing that struck me as I entered Pastuso was the sleek interior, with hanging dry aged beef and colourful neon posters adorning one wall.

One of the main reasons I wanted to try this place was because of its extensive ceviche menu, one of my favourite things to eat. We started with the Amazonian Ceviche with king salmon and plantain fritters, which tasted as good as it looked. The cubes of salmon were soft and succulent, soaking in the sweet and sour orange and lemon dressing. The plantain fritter added a fun crunchiness to the dish. 

Amazonian Ceviche - NZ King salmon with Plantain fritters, sour orange and lemon dress $18

One ceviche dish was clearly not enough, so we opted for the Crystal Bay Prawn ceviche with a ponzu and white miso. I had not expected the prawns to be charred but it was a gorgeuos dish nonetheless. The prawns had been marinated in the white miso sauce and retained a real sweetness, whilst the turnip puree was just exquisitely smooth and creamy. 

Ceviche nikei de camarones - Crystal Bay Prawns, radish, ginger, turnip puree, ponzu and white miso $18

I have had some pretty tasty croquettes in Spanish tapas bars, but this might just op them all. The potato croquettes with pulled beef brisket, pecans, olives and salsa were hands down the tastiest croquettes I’ve ever had. It had the perfect crunch on the outside and bursted with flavour on the inside. 

Papitas rellena de carretilla – Street cart style potato croquettes filled with pulled beef brisket, pecans, botija olives, watercress & pickled onion salsa $12

For mains, we shared the Berkshire slow roasted pork shoulder with adobo sauce which was cooked in a smoke chamber.  It had a hint of smokiness without being overpowering. You could tell the meat was slow cooked as it fell apart at the slightest touch. The Peruvian rice did not taste that special, but served its purpose to soak up the yummy adobo sauce. 

Paletilla de Cerdo - Bundarra Berkshires slow roasted pork shoulder with adobo sauce and Pervian rice $34

Filling pretty full, we opted for a trio of watermelon, melon and passion fruit sorbet for dessert, a refreshing end to a very tasty meal - it definitely lessened the blow of a crunching Grand Final defeat, at least momentarily. I hope to be back and have a seat at the ceviche bar, or perhaps try out the alpaca from the grill.