Terra Fusion Peru: Authentic Peruvian Food With a Twist

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Aji de Gallina
Aji de Gallina
Terra Fusion Peru
Terra Fusion Peru

Editor’s Note: As of November 2014, this restaurant is closed.

Terra Fusion Peru was one of the last restaurants I tried during my August 2012 visit.

Prominently located on the ground floor of La Strada Malla, on Avenida Poblado, it’s impossible to miss.

Having spent 7 months in Peru between 2011-2012, my expectations for Peruvian food are high. I went to the source, and dined like a king on Causa, Aji de Gallina, and Ceviche.

It was therefore with a small degree of apprehension that I entered Terra Fusion Peru.

Sidewalk lounge
Sidewalk lounge

My first impression of the dining area was positive.

Under the awnings, there were leather couches in what appeared to be a lounge area, perfect for sipping happy hour cocktails with friends or coworkers.

I was there for lunch, and it was empty. The restaurant is still open today, so it must be doing pretty well.

Causa
Causa, with a weird olive cream sauce

When a restaurant puts “fusion” in the name, I immediately have to give it some slack, as that allows the chefs to take liberties with traditional recipes.

In the case of Causa Limena (14,500 pesos or $7.94), one of my favorite Peruvian dishes, they got the basics right.

Causa Limena is basically two patties of mashed potatoes, sandwiching chicken (seafood or vegetarian) salad, tomato, and avocado.

Unfortunately, someone thought it’d be a good idea to whip up an olive cream sauce and douse the causa in it. This gets a big FAIL in my book. If I ever order it there again, I’ll tell them to hold the sauce, because it was otherwise well executed.

In Peru, causa is routinely presented with a drizzle of Salsa Huancaina, a spicy Peruvian sauce made of cheese, onions, and yellow aji chili peppers. It tastes way better.

Aji de Gallina
Aji de Gallina

Another of my favorite Peruvian foods is Aji de Gallina, with its shredded chicken bathed in a thick and creamy, slightly spicy, aji chili pepper sauce.

It’s traditionally served on top of boiled and sliced potatoes, alongside rice, and topped with a sliced hardboiled egg, and black olives (which I always pushed to the side).

At Terra Fusion Peru, it’s listed on the menu as “Pollo fusion en salsa suave de aji amarillo” (19,500 pesos, $10.68) which I found odd. It’s no secret Colombian food favors bland over spicy, so it may be this description is more appealing to paisas.

Or, perhaps by not calling it Aji de Gallina, it allows the chefs to take liberties with the recipe, such as the use of parmesan cheese shavings, and the lack of egg and olives.

I love Peruvian food, admittedly more than Colombian food, so it was nice to find a decent representation of it here in Medellin, even if they do choose to put their own twists on the traditional ingredients.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. Why does Colombian food always look the same — no matter what it is — even the sushi looks like it’s some kind of arrepa with sauce on

    • The food in this post is Peruvian, not Colombian.

      There’s not a whole lot of variety with Colombian food, but I don’t think it all looks the same.

  2. Good review, I have also eaten there and I felt the same about certain dishes. As a peruvian, I could tell you that the key part of the Causa, is not that its “only” two patties of mashed potatoes. Instead, these “patties’ should be a mixed of a certain kind of potato (papa amarilla o papa criolla), peruvian yellow pepper paste, a bit of lemon juice and a bit of seasoning. The yellow pepper paste in the mix is actually what gives the causa the special flavor, otherwise it just tastes as a regular mashed potato pattie, boring and lacking flavor. And yes, it should be topped with salsa huancaina. The only restaurant I have tried the Causa as its made in Peru, its Peru Mix, a small place on 10th. I’ll check other restaurants from your list the next time i visit Medellin, since tomorow is my last day here. Great blog!