This slideshow requires JavaScript.

On our tenth, and final stop on the hunt for the best ceviche in town, we came to the second incarnation of Chef Ricardo Zarate’s pride and joy in Downtown Los Angeles, Mo-chica. Originally, his concept started out as a stall at the Mercado La Paloma on Grand Ave and Exposition Blvd, about a block away from the DMV office that everyone oh-so-dearly “loves.” With its rapid expansion, Chef Zarate knew he had to open a larger location. Luckily, he was able to find his brick and mortar location right in the heart of DTLA off 7th St, between Grand Ave and Olive St. The restaurant has a great modern hipster vibe to it with some communal seating in the front, decorative ceramic Inca dolls throughout, and graffiti, aka modern art on the walls catered to Zarate’s liking.

Our group casually entered within minutes of each other and struck up conversations as if we had known each other since childhood and had been reunited after years of absence. We planned our meeting perfectly to coincide with the happy hour schedule that mo-chica has set up. As we ordered everything on the HH menu, this is what I tried:

Causa de Cangrejo- An incredibly fascinating dish that I have never tried before. It’s a cold yellow potato (dumpling) mixed with lime juice, onions, and aji Amarillo pepper. Topped with mashed avocado, fresh lump crab mix, micro greens, diced tomato, and aji Amarillo sauce. This dish has a strong acidity that exudes the flavors of crab, avocado, and the aji. I really need to start trying more cold potato dishes if they are as good as this golden egg is.

Chicharron de Pollo- Marinated and crispy fried chicken “nuggets,” served with a Rocoto aioli. It had a nice, crunchy exterior, with just enough “crust” on the meat that it was still tender and moist on the inside. Simply put, It was SICK with the combination of the Rocoto aioli.

Colita de Res- Braised oxtail served with Trigo de Mote Pelado (hulled wheat “risotto”), Huancaina sauce (spicy cheese sauce made with aji Amarillo peppers, queso fresco, milk, saltines, onions, and garlic), and Salsa Criolla. One of my three favorites of the bunch. The slow braised and flavorful oxtail went great with the mixture of the Huancaina sauce into the trigo de mote. Tangy, spicy notes within the rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the colita was paired perfectly with the pearlized grains giving flavor and a texture profile to the dish.

Ceviche Mixto- Halibut, prawn, squid, and scallop ceviche topped with sliced red onions, cancha, choclo, sweet potato, micro greens, and the ever oh-so-damn-delicious Leche de tiger (the ceviche marinade). Although, I love Peruvian ceviche, it was my third favorite dish, since it was slightly on the salty side. And if you know me, you know I can handle salty foods. Aside from that tiny misstep, the dish is exactly what you would expect from all Peruvian style ceviches, for the ingredients to be truly cooked in the Leche de Tigre, not just tossed in the marinade after being pre-cooked.

Pan con Tuna- Chef Zarate’s version of Tuna Tartare, spread on top of a grilled crostini with mashed avocado underneath the tuna, cucumber jalapeño relish, and yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit similar to mandarin and grapefruit) aioli. My all time favorite of the bunch! Ever heard a parent insist they don’t have a favorite child when they actually do? Well, this one here, was my favorite child. The sushi grade tuna, tossed in a quick citrus marinade/vinaigrette, placed on top of an extremely crunchy grilled toast with avocado was one of the best tuna dishes I have tried in a very long time.

Alfajores- Peruvian macarons filled with Dulce de Leche, and Rocoto chocolate ganache. Very sweet, and dry, like a typical macarons. Just make sure you have some coffee or anything else on hand to wash this delicious little dessert down as it has a tendency to stick to the roof of your mouth.

Tres Leches Cake- Not as moist as other tres leches cakes I’ve tried, but definitely more flavor. As I have to admit, I’m a bit of a tres leches addict. I got hooked the first time I tried it, since I can’t stand any kind of dry cake. Even though this one wasn’t “soaked” as the others I have tried, it was still very palate tempting and was able to retain its moisture. Well done.

Although, I unfortunately never got a chance to try Chef Zarate’s fare at his first location, I am certainly content in knowing the fact that I finally got a chance to feast on his awe-inspiring food that would make any gourmand clearly explode in food porn orgasms from the sheer fact of seeing what the next level of cuisine is for Peruvian food. Next trends shall be tamales, and Chilean or Colombian food. Just a thought or premonition.