You like Peruvian. You like Japanese. This spot fuses those cuisines

There’s the Nikkei index at the Tokyo stock exchange and then there’s Kyoto Nikkei Cuisine.

Kyoto Nikkei serves a blend of Japanese and Peruvian fare that has come to be known in Peru as Nikkei — Japanese cooking techniques with Peruvian ingredients.The food here is fresh and innovative in an industrial chic space with Asian accents.

The Venezuelan owners, chef Martin Westinner and his wife, Doraima, open two months ago after arriving in South Florida a year ago. Westinner is of Spanish and German descent and graduated from culinary school in Trinidad. In Caracas he teamed with renowned chef Eduardo Moreno at Shayara, the first molecular eatery in the capital. He met Toshiro Konishi there, where he learned Nikkei cuisine, then opened Ushiro, his first Nikkei restaurant. He also ran a small chain of fast-casual restaurants specializing in ceviche and sushi rolls.

Start With These Dishes

Try Kyoto poke on a bed of rice and red quinoa, topped with citrus-marinated tuna and salmon, avocado and  nutty shimeji mushrooms. The bowl is topped with ikura and massago roes.

Chupe de Camarones, or shrimp chowder, can be a starter for those with a hearty appetite. The creamy broth is brightened with Peruvian aji amarillo and chock full of shrimp, rice, peas and cubes of queso fresco. Floating in the center is a soft poached egg. Stir the runny yolk into the broth for extra richness.

There’s also tempura fried causa (mashed potato cake) topped with a piece of grilled octopus in fruity-hot maroon aji panca paste.

Share These Dishes

Groups can order several ceviches and tiraditos — expertly cut raw fish in citrus baths known as leche de tigre or tiger’s milk. Try corvina ceviche with sweet eel sauce and truffle oil. It tempers the citrus, minced red onion and bell peppers topped with a nest of fried potato threads.

Thinly sliced salmon tiradito swims in ponzu, mixed with black-garlic-infused sour cream with chives and white asparagus.

Entrees include green udon noodles tossed in creamed kale, topped with a beef skewer and spicy green chile sauce. Augadito is a spicy seafood broth with octopus, squid, tuna tataki with herbs and vegetable tempura. And the classic lomo saltado here is made with a mix of seafood and beef in a spicy soy reduction.

Or share some sushi, sashimi and rolls. The Tokyo Roll has crispy eel with avocado and cream cheese, topped with smoked salmon. The Lima Roll has crisp crab, cilantro tempura, avocado and whitefish chicharrones. The Kobe Roll features crisp shrimp with mango, cream cheese and sweet pepper topped with avocado.

There’s also chaufa, a take on Chinese-Peruvian fried rice. Steamed quinoa and rice are mixed with aji amarillo, yolk foam and fish stock until creamy. It’s topped with scrambled egg bits and batter-fried shrimp katsu.

Save Room For Dessert

Order the deconstructed Suspiro Limeño, a dulce de leche popsicle frozen with liquid nitrogen, topped with crème anglaise foam and served with mini meringue drops.

Contact Linda Bladholm at lindabladholmlola75@gmail.com. Hidden Gems highlights out-of-the-way restaurants in Miami-Dade County. It is not intended to be an anonymous, critical review.

Kyoto Nikkei Cuisine

Address: 18146 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach

Contact: 305-466-6775, kyotogastronomy.com

Hours: Noon-11 p.m. daily

Prices: Appetizers $14-$19, entrees $22-$24, sushi rolls/sushi $12-$19, desserts $12

F.Y.I. Beer and wine sold, a lunch tasting menu is available for $25 including a glass of wine

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 5:08 AM.