If you like Nikkei cuisine, chances are you’ve been to Llama San, the downtown destination for Peruvian-Japanese cooking. The restaurant boasts a unique, refined menu of stunning small plates and entrees inspired by the delicious fusion that came about as a result of the Japanese diaspora in Peru. (My favorite? The pork tonkatsu served with udon verde, a delicious combination I never could have dreamt up.) And in Williamsburg, sister restaurant Llama Inn serves equally delicious but slightly more straightforward Peruvian dishes. (Get their decadent take on lomo saltado.) Now, Juan Correa and chef Erik Ramirez have set their sights on Midtown with new izakaya restaurant Papa San. Although the name suggests that it shares some DNA with Llama San, it’s very much its own animal.
For one thing, it’s located steps from Hudson Yards. If you’re thinking “that’s a strange choice for a hip restaurant,” you’re right, and while good food is good food, there’s something about staring out onto the bleakness of Tenth Avenue that takes away some of the charm of an otherwise cool dining experience. (Our table was located facing the windows across from the new midtown outpost of Russ & Daughters, an equally odd migration that would surely make my Lower East Side Ashkenazi ancestors scratch their heads.)
So while the setting left something to be desired, I decided to let the food speak for itself. Everything is bigger in Midtown, and Papa San is no exception; both the space and the menu are far, far larger than at Llama San. The menu is divided into ceviches/tiraditos, makimono, robataya, appetizers, donburi, and sides. There is also a whole chicken intended for two. I came with a group of five, which was a great way to experience such an extensive menu of dishes intended for sharing. With such a large group, we were able to sample many of the offerings. Highlights included the fluke tiradito, the rock shrimp makimono, the cacio e pepe udon, and the eel pizza.
The delicate flavors of sliced fresh raw fluke were enhanced by a creamy bright green avocado sauce and halved green grapes. Citrus shows up in crudos and tiraditos quite frequently; other fruits, less so, and this made me think: why?! (A razor clam ceviche, which we also ordered, featured lychee to similarly delectable effect.) Crispy puffed rice added nice textural contrast. Light but satisfying, the fluke was the perfect introduction to a meal of equally creative and tasty dishes.
I can’t say no to anything that remotely resembles sushi, so makimono was a necessity, and the addition of coconut cream to tempura rock shrimp made for a satisfying sweet and savory bite that recalled coconut shrimp, one of my favorite childhood gateways to seafood.
Chiles stood in for black pepper in Ramirez’ take on cacio e pepe, where an anticuchera sauce lent a nice kick of brightness and spice to the chewy noodles, and though the aji panca overpowered any Parmesan flavors that may have been present, it was spicy and savory and worked very well. Tender wok fried squid is a brilliant addition, adding texture and interest. This may have been my favorite item of the night, which is unsurprising given that with its mashup of Nikkei and Italian ingredients and flavors, it is reminiscent of my all-time favorite Ramirez dish, the pesto udon at Llama San.
The eel pizza is a must-order in the sense that it perfectly encapsulates what Papa San seems to be all about. It’s fun, it’s different yet approachable, and it’s fusion. With pecorino, shiitake, sesame, and bonito flakes, it made for a very satisfying umami bite that’s great to share with a big group. And it’s a decent litmus test for a restaurant like this one: can they execute a crowd-pleaser dish like pizza while giving it their own twist? Here, they certainly did.
Tsukemono cucumbers made for a cool, refreshing side dish whose lightly pickled flavor paired nicely with the hot, savory dishes, but then again, I’ve rarely met a cucumber I didn’t enjoy. This was the only one of the “best friends” (sides) we ordered.
The cocktail program, developed in collaboration with hip Buenos Aires bar Tres Monos, deserves a mention. As with any izakaya, the drinks are just as important as the food, and here they do not disappoint. Savory ingredients share menu space with more typical cocktail elements — one cocktail involves black garlic, another has curry — and the results are delicious. To my fiancé’s delight, also on offer is a considerable list of non-alcoholic cocktails, which can only improve any already strong cocktail program. Myself, I enjoyed their take on a pisco sour, which involved pear and green apple and was enjoyably fruity but still tart.
It’s one thing for a restaurant to execute familiar, beloved dishes well; it’s quite another for a restaurant to knock it out of the park with dishes you can’t find on any other menu. Sometimes novelty comes at the expense of flavor, but not so in Ramirez’ capable hands. Papa San brings a much needed dose of downtown creativity and flair to midtown. For the after-work crowd as well as anyone who finds themselves near Hudson Yards, it easily rises to the top of dining options in the area.
Pricing: plates of greatly varying sizes $12-$76