By Luis Castro, VozdeGuacanaste – On Saturday, March 22, a new restaurant called Yahnel Mar opened in Barrio La Virginia in downtown Nicoya. This restaurant was the brainchild of Monserrat Juarez and her husband, who also owns the Vidrería Martínez glass shop located next door and offer an environment and foods that are different from what Nicoyans are accustomed to.
The Peruvian chef Rolando Dazzetti got the green light to design the menu and was inspired by the cuisine of his homeland and some of the ingredients that make a difference. He incorporated dishes from the south like tiger’s milk, which is a thick drink made from ceviche juice. There is also Huancayo potato (papa a la huancaína), a dish of boiled potatoes dipped in a cheese-based cream and Peruvian ceviche. Dazzetti insists that each bite should have a little of each ingredient to really savor it.
Furthermore, Dazzetti incorporated other recipes that he has perfected over the years like Japanese-style tuna marinated in soy sauce and Caribbean chicken with curry.
The restaurant also specializes in meat and seafood. The seafood platter that costs 15,000 colones ($30) includes lobster, jumbo shrimp, octopus, mussels and other seafood in a garlic butter mix. The menu has cuts of beef like steak, tenderloin, T-bone and rack of lamb with prices from 4000 colones ($8) for tenderloin to 12,000 colones ($24) for the mixed grill.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
