An Immersive Culinary Journey At Coricancha

Anyone who has ever visited a Blue Marlin Ibiza Group venue will know that they can expect beautiful surroundings, five star service and an excellent culinary offering. So when the gastronomic maestros open a new venue, you better take note and get your reservations in, rapido! Full of anticipation, we visited their latest Ibiza opening Coricancha, a Nikkei concept that artfully fuses Japanese and Peruvian cuisine to take you on a gourmet journey through different flavours, cultures and ancient cooking techniques.

Named after the revered Temple of the Sun in Cusco, Peru, where the sun god Inti was worshipped, the restaurant pays tribute to the myth that the deity married his sister, the moon, and that they sent their two children to teach humankind to farm the land and care for the animals. Honouring this wisdom and paying homage to planet earth, Coricancha combines innovative techniques with quality ingredients from Peru, Japan and Ibiza for a true foodie adventure. Located on the long stretch of road that leads to Salinas beach, and overlooking the famous salt pans, the whitewashed traditional Spanish building welcomes visitors through a huge wooden gate into its charming garden and lounge area, where guests can enjoy a sunset cocktail accompanied by Balearic beats.

When we arrive, we are immediately taken by the beautiful and relaxed surroundings that combine the island’s natural colour palette and materials with designs inspired by Inca culture. Heavy glass tops balance on giant polished tree roots to create the tables, decorated with cacti and succulents, with imposing Aztec statues overlooking diners in the garden. While the ground level is shrouded by greenery for an intimate feel, the first floor and its balcony seating grant unspoiled views on the stunning Las Salina salt flats and nature reserve. Watching the sun set from this viewpoint is a truly spectacular experience, with the golden light being reflected on each individual salt lake, while the sky turns from fiery red to pastel pink and then to purple. And if you’re lucky, you might even see a flock of flamingos fly past, as we did on our visit.

With the ambience and surroundings promising a magical night, we started our evening propped up in fascination at the cocktail bar, where manager Andreas talked us through the menu and created three intriguing concoctions for us. He told us, “The menu is split into four elements. Peru has got the sea and the earth, of course, the air that we all need and the jungle. So the direction I wanted to take on the menu was to use flavours from all four of the elements: earth, air, fire and water. We took traditional recipes and herbs and spices from Peru and Ibiza to create a combination of South American and Balearic flavours. For each category, we try to incorporate the taste, the smell, the feel and the look of each element. For a fire cocktail, for example, we smoke the glass and serve it in a giant bamboo stalk to transport you to the Peruvian desert.”

We tried one of the most popular cocktails, the Sep from the water category, a sweet mix of Bacardi rum, almond, seaweed, sake shiso, lime, wild fern leaf dill and a dash of saline solution and egg white foam on the top that is deceptively lightly flavoured and so addictive you want to drink it all up in one go. Celebrating Japan and its influence on Peru, it is served in cute little porcelain sipping cups that pay homage to the country’s tea culture. With a cloud of lemon verbena steam rolling out of the wooden tray it came served on, the immersive experience was complete. Our second cocktail creation was the Wind from the element grouping of air, which combines Absolute Elyx vodka, St Germain, chamomile flower aperitif wine, mandarin sherbet and Mumm champagne for a zesty drink with distinct floral notes. The presentation is nothing short of beautiful, with fresh petals being attached to the glass with edible glue and a spritz of orange blossom water to give the impression they have just been blown onto the tumbler by a gust. It is like a perfect spring or early summer’s day in a glass! Last, but by now means least, we sample the impressive Glim, a masterpiece crafted from Glenlivet 12 whisky, char-grilled pineapple, sherry, black rice water, herbal lime and ginger juice that has a smoky-sweet flavour and astonishes the palette with its subtly layered elements.

Having already fired off a text to our foodie friends threatening to kill them if they didn’t check out Coricancha – before we even tried any food – we were led to our balcony table, where, instead of the traditional pan y aioli, bowls of Peruvian maize corns topped with fiery spices awaited us. The eatery encourages guests to share plates from the ceviche bar, anticuchos selection, seafood, meat and poultry kitchen and sushi offering, to enjoy a sociable dining experience and get a broader taste of the menu. We started with one of the specials, a tangy and fresh tuna tataki served with ponzu sauce, pumpkin chutney and a special Peruvian chili for a little kick, as well as delicate watermelon sashimi, the thin slithers of which had been compressed and jellified until they had the texture of raw fish. Topped with tofu, sea grapes, yuzu sauce and chia seeds, it was an exciting starter option that burst with flavours for our vegan friends. A ceviche dish from the Barranco area of Lima combined chunky pieces of octopus, white fish, king prawn and a sprinkling of coriander, and, marinated in aloe vera and yellow chilli tiger milk, teased our palettes with its zesty flavours. Our last opener was a dish of baby squid tempura in the lightest batter, served with mashed potatos, avocado puree and octopus mayonnaise, which almost caused spoon fights around the table thanks to its gorgeous mix of textures and tastes.

Meanwhile, the restaurant had started to fill up with couples, glamorous gal pals and big groups who had chosen Coricancha for a special celebration. With chilled house classics drifting in our ear and the stars coming out, the atmosphere was positively goose-bump inducing. For our next course, the attentive staff brought out a beautiful plate of grilled Samburina baby scallops baked in spicy butter that looked great and tasted even better. The delicate, moist chunks of the shellfish had adopted a subtle smoked flavour and virtually melted in our mouths. Anticucho De Langostino, a traditional street market style bunch of skewers stacked with juicy marinated and chargrilled king prawns, were perfectly succulent and left us licking our fingers, and, together with the ‘ochas vivas’ green side salad – so named because the leaves are only cut off from the living plant when ordered, made a fabulous light summer dish.

Another special dish of the day, soft sea bass fillet was cooked on jungle paste in a banana leaf parcel and, upon opening, released the fragrant scent of Asian cuisine into the air, taking us straight from Ibiza to the Far East. The accompanying side salad – made with zucchini strips, juicy melon cubes and a dressing mixed from mint, lime and palm sugar – was dubbed the Mojito salad and one of the most exciting side dishes we have ever experienced, the flavours bouncing around in our mouth. Never ones to resist some seafood, we also tried Coricancha’s take on the traditional Galician octopus, cooked in lemon leaf vapour and boasting a delightfully dense texture and grilled flavour. We savoured it together with a crunchy, slaw-style salad made from fresh heart of palm. The piece de resistance, however, was a huge, juicy rack of beef seasoned with rosemary and sesame on a carob sauce. Cooked for 48 hours, it had a melt in your mouth texture and a rich, earthy flavour that shall remained unrivalled in our memory. While it didn’t really need a side dish, we teamed it with choclo con parmesano, a sweet grilled corn cob smothered in finely grated cheese, clashing the fruitness of the sweetcorn with the tangy flavour of the parmesan.

With our minds positively blown by the amazing food, we decided to end our night with a couple of sushi dishes – just to try, of course. Our waiter Francesco explained to us that the Coricancha team believes that great sushi doesn’t need to be dressed up with sauces and fancy toppings o enhance its natural flavours, instead championing high quality rice, seaweed and fish. And so we devoured our flambé salmon nigiri with crunchy sea asparagus from the neighbouring Salinas habitat and the special king prawn uramaki without any ginger, wasabi or soy sauce, enjoying the perfect texture and flavours of the sea. With our night drawing to a close, we sat a while longer to take in the full moon and soak up the beautiful ambience, putting Coricancha way, way high on our list to take our friends and loved ones to for an incredible foodie experience.

Information & Reservations
w: www.coricanchaibiza.com
t: +34 971 07 42 26