Kjolle

Tasting the rainbow: Pía León rose to fame as the head chef of Central, which was named The World’s Best Restaurant in 2023. But in 2018, she felt the need to express her culinary vision in an independent way. Kjolle is her first solo restaurant, where she zeros in on Peru’s vibrant pantry and lets her gastronomic instincts run wild. Simple, but not easy: At Kjolle, León strives to preserve natural flavours – her dishes show a high level of research and testing, but the produce is always recognisable and never overly manipulated. This process, however, is far from easy: León and the team spend months researching the best ways to use each part of the ingredient to create the least possible amount of waste, while maximising flavour and adding unexpected elements. Image, taste and context: Painting with colours as well as flavours is part of Kjolle’s DNA, and a meal here is sure to fill up your camera roll with photos of dishes that are as beautiful as they are delicious. ‘Context’ completes León’s culinary philosophy, exemplified in unique pieces of ceramics, glassware and interior design the chef curates alongside local artists and artisans from across Peru. A love for tubers: León’s most recognisable dish is simply named Many Tubers and consists of toasted yellow and red slices of olluco, an Andean potato-like root, held together by a creamy oca paste – a highland tuber – served on a tart made from cañihua dough, a cereal similar to quinoa. Other standout dishes on the tasting menu include lobster with coconut, cecina (cured meat) and crab, and cow rib with corn, tumbo (banana passionfruit) and mochero chilli.