- Hey, everyone. I hope you're having an amazing day. It's Mark Wiens, I'm in Lima, Peru, and for lunch today,
we're going to a place that I have been looking
forward to eating at, and the restaurant is called
Chez Wong by chef Javier Wong, who is a legend of Peruvian food. He's so skilled, I can't wait
to watch him as he cooks, and then to taste his food
is gonna be a privilege. And so we've just arrived. I'm gonna share all of
the food, the ceviche, the cooking, the eating,
everything with you in this video, in this monumental Peruvian lunch. (hard rock music) I remember first seeing Chez Wong when Anthony Bourdain went there. And I remember watching
that show and I said, "I have to go there one day. "I have to go there, to Chez Wong." So today is that day. That is the restaurant right there. You would never know it's a restaurant just from the outside. There's no sign, there's no description. All I remember is seeing a
photo of the outside of it, so that's how I know. But there's a green wall
so you can notice it by the green wall. And it's Chef Javier Wong, it's his house. A couple of things to quickly note. Number one is that it's only open from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., so don't come here for
dinner, only for lunch. And then number two is that
you have to make a reservation. There's no walk-in. If you just show up
here, you won't get in. You've got to have a reservation. Luckily, we have a reservation, and we're gonna be meeting
up with Chef Timour, who also makes videos. He loves to eat, he loves Peruvian food. He should be here any minute. We're gonna go inside and this is, it's like reaching a summit. I mean, we haven't eaten it
yet, we haven't met Chef yet, but it's like climbing
to the top of a mountain. I am absolutely ecstatic. (hard rock music) - [Cameraman] You think we should go in? - It's like 15 minutes
now before it opens. I'm not sure how strict
he is, if he waits. If we wait outside until 1:00 p.m.? (knocking on door) (speaks in foreign language) You come through this door and gate, and step into a courtyard,
and from my understanding, the restaurant used to be in the garage, maybe the garage is back there, I'm not totally sure, but now, it is in the living room of Chef Javier Wong's home. Come up the stairs, and then this is the main dining room, there's like, probably like, eight tables or so in here, and then you can just see the walls are just decorated with all these awards, all of his. He's such, such a master. Such an awesome, awesome master. Timour. What's up man? Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you. - How are you?
- It's such an honor to meet you man.
- Thank you, Thank you. - [Timour] I'm sorry. - We got our table, met up with Timour. - Hey, what's up Mark?
- What's up man? Awesome to meet you. - Yeah, me too. - I think, like right at one, Chef Javier Wong will
come out of the kitchen, and he's gonna start--
- Yeah, he's gonna showing us. (speaks foreign language) - There's no menu here.
- No, I guess not, I mean he's mostly famous for his ceviche. - Mostly famous for ceviche, and also I know he does like
usually one stir fry dish. Something I wanted to
just explain about this is that it's only open
from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. - I guess so, yeah. - And that's especially
because of ceviche, because it's fresh fish, and it has to be fresh. If you keep with the traditions, ceviche would not typically
be eaten at dinner. - No, but I mean now there's-- - You actually could. - Have it, but yeah, because they usually they say the fish is
only fresh until noon. - Like if you fish at night and the fishermen go fishing at night, they come back with the
fish in the morning, you have to eat it by
the middle of the day, that's when the fish will be the best. - Exactly. - And since he only
serves the absolute best. - Unwago, he uses Unwago, the fish is called Unwago. - Is it a, it's a Sole, right? - Yeah, exactly. - Peruvian or Pacific Sole fish. (speaks in foreign language) - Get us a, if you wanna
grab a filming experience. - Cool, all good. Awesome. We got full permission to film, so we're gonna see the entire process as he makes his ceviche. And just, he's just getting started now, chopping up onions. Just completely like his focus, his skill, his experience is just on the next level. Look at the way he's just
dicing up those onions. (hard rock music) Oh, that's good. (speaks foreign language) Guys, it's beautiful, beautiful. That's a Pacific Peruvian Sole. And this is really one of the highlights of being here, everyone. (speaks foreign language) What a hero, what a hero. Dude, look at that fish. (speaks in foreign language) - [Man] Wow. (speaks in foreign language) - He's just slicing it up, cutting off the filets,
the freshness of it, and you can just see one eye popping out. (energetic rock music) So in order to make ceviche, he's sliced off the filets of the fish and then for ceviche,
instead of slicing it into, like, thin pieces, it's mostly cubed, it's kinda cubed, so he's
just expertly just awed. So there's just onions in it
now and then cubes of fish, which he is just scooting
from the cutting board into the main mixing pan. (speaks foreign language) (hard rock music) Then he mixed in some Octopus, which I believe is pre-cooked already, and then he sprinkled in some salt, sprinkled in some pepper, and then like, the entire
glass pan full of lime juice, pure lime juice, that's it. And like, literally all
he did was stir it around. But just the mastery, just
him knowing the exact ratios, the exact amounts, no recipe, just by feel, by look, by experience, so simple, yet, it just looks, it just looks perfect. - [Timour] I can't wait. - We rushed back to the table. - Yeah.
- Yeah seriously, cannot wait. You can smell the aroma as soon as he mixes in that lime juice, like immediately it starts
to look almost milky, the dressing, the juice, the-- - It's called--
- Leche de tigre. - Exactly.
- Which is the tiger's milk, because it does turn milky. - Exactly, and it's so powerful, you're gonna feel the flavors, the lemon is so acidic but not too strong, and here, the originality is
that he puts black pepper. Usually, in the ceviche they don't, but he's the one--
(object clattering) I can't wait for it. - [Mark] So that's like his signature. - I guess so, yeah.
- His signature style. - He hasn't got cilantro,
and camote, all those. - Yeah, there's no, there's red onions and that's the only vegetable. - Exactly. - [Mark] He does serve
chilies on the side, but we gotta just taste it first, without first peer.
- Exactly. - [Mark] Fish and everything
together in one bite, piece of fish. Look at that, I'm just gonna go fish, octopus, onions, as much of that leche de tigre. Cheers.
- Cheers, man. - Cheers.
- And welcome to Peru. - Gracias. Oh, wow. - So fresh, my god. - Oh, wow. It's like the lime juice almost has a, like, it almost sizzles
your tongue a little bit, it's so fresh. - And it doesn't, like
it doesn't bother it, it's not like too acidic
or it's like nothing or anything else. You feel the flavor of
the fish and the octopus. - The fish is incredibly pure as well. You do taste the back pepper, but it's not overpowering. - [Timour] Exactly. - And then, just like that
salty, sourness just like, zings. Okay, let's add some chilies. Okay, we'll add the chilies,
we'll add the chilies. And then, re-juice, we'll re-juice it. - Go ahead, go ahead.
- A bite, is it mine? - [Timour] I wanna
introduce you, let me see. - [Mark] Oh, man. You wanna just drink that
juice, that leche de tigre, it's so, the milk. And I'm actually gonna go ahead and just, go the extra mile in this bite and just re-ceviche it. - [Cameraman] Beautiful shot. - Is this chili the Aji chili? - Yeah, I think this is the Aji. - Aji chili? - Yeah.
- Okay. And that's actually a cup of chili. - I'm not gonna eat as
much as spice as you. - Oh yeah, no, that's
okay man, that's okay. - All right. (hard rock music) - Oh wow. - See it brings out
something new to the... - That chili, and again
like, even the chili. It's a little bit spicy, but it's so like, it has heat, it's fragrant, but it doesn't over power it, it just like complements everything there. - [Timour] Main thing is
just the groovy of the lime. It just really like, it's so strong, but it mixes perfectly
with the Aji and the salt. Everything is balanced,
everything is all mashing up. - Absolutely stunning and
like the simplicity of it. - You know, exactly, that's the beauty. - [Mark] But then, if you
tried to make this at home, no way.
- No way. - [Mark] He has the skill. He's using the experience,
the skill, the knowledge, that is the beauty of simplicity
right there on a plate. - [Timour] Is that what
you said, is sharp, is it like, it doesn't last,
it doesn't stay forever. You know, that lime flavor. - It's like a sharp, sourness lime. But then, it like disappears quickly. And these chilies are absolutely stunning, I'm gonna do a bit of a chili bite. And what I like about these chilies, is that they're a little bit spicy, but they, the flavor is so good, and the fragrance is so good. They don't like overpower the dish and they don't really like, they don't burn either. A little bit more of the
juice, leche de tigre. You want me to rehydrate you? - [Cameraman] Yes, please. - [Mark] Rehydrate you. - [Cameraman] Thanks man. - [Mark] Aw, yeah. Re-tiger it. - [Cameraman] Re-tiger waterfall? - Re-tigerfall. It's like an immediate explosion of freshness, of like... Those chilies are amazing. That is harmony, I can feel that. I can feel the Aji, I
can feel that chili now. (upbeat rock music) Okay, so we're moving
on to the next course, and again, there's no menu
here, you eat what Chef cooks. But he has some vegetables, you can slice up the vegetables, he's adding a little bit of ginger, and he added in some orange, or almost like mandarin, maybe? Now, he's slicing up
some fish to go in there, I think it's gonna be a stir fry dish. Here comes the fish again. His speed of chopping up the fishes, his knowledge, knowing
exactly where those bones are, how to take off the skin, the entire anatomy and the respect that he
portrays to the fish. He added in those vegetables, He added in some mushrooms, and then he went over, back
into the back of the kitchen, and he added in some seasonings, I think some soy sauce. (energetic rock music) It's just unbelievable how he did that, that's just, and so simple, like, he didn't even move quickly. He just sort of relaxed, totally relaxed. He could do that with his eyes closed, just like a few flicks with his wrist, and just kinda chillin'
out at the same time. What an amazing, an amazing man. Look at that pan, it's just gonna sit there, hot, for the rest of the
afternoon, just sizzling. That has to be one of the greatest acts of stir frying in the entire world. That the world has ever seen. He doesn't even have a set portion size, like it's just according to how many people you have at your table who just dish you, kinda
just like, eyeball it, and give you a size plate filled with food to feed your entire table. He just gave us a huge
plate of fried fish. The aroma coming off of this platter is just unbelievable,
you can smell the fire. The fire definitely hit the roof, when he shook, when he flicked his wrist. But again, he's calm. The way he kept calm
when he was stir frying, it was remarkable. Not even breaking a sweat. But before we try this though, you know how sometimes when there's a sauce that's so good, you could actually drink it? - [Cameraman] Oh, yeah,
this tastes different. - [Mark] Gonna add in
some of these chilies. - [Timour] It's made of grapes. - Timour.
- All right. - Cheers
- Cheers, man. - Shake this up with some chilies in it, he went away to the back and then he came back with
leche de tigre in shot glasses. - That's gonna be power for you. - Wow! - He had a Pisco. - And tastes a little
bit of Pisco, you said? - Piscco is the brandy of Peru, made of grapes, it's so good. - You taste a little
bit of liquor in there, but then that's just the pure. It is milky from the fish. Wow, that's like powerfully, that's just unbelievable flavor. - This energized me for the whole day. - You didn't actually dive down. Finished! - It's so good. I challenge you, you should take it. Try a whole shot. - Oh yeah. That is amazing. The liquor in there, the milkiness, the clean, purity of it, those chilies! I'm like flying right now. Okay, we're ready for the stir fry dish. I can still feel the heat
radiating off of this pan, huge pieces of fish, snow peas, he tossed in some snow peas, the onion's in there, the mushrooms. Wow. - Cheers, you guys. - Cheers, cheers
- Cheers. - Oh wow. - That's amazing. As soon you put your bite, you
feel the flavors right away. - But like, again, the balance. The balance right? It's not too salty, that fish melts in your mouth. - [Timour] That sauce. - [Mark] That sauce! - The smokiness from the
fish, that is gorgeous. - He puts a little hint of orange skin, or it's mandarin. - [Mark] Even the pieces of
mandarin in there, right? - [Timour] Amazing what
he brings to the plates. - Citrus-y sweetener, the vegetables are fairly crisp still. The fish tastes like, you don't need to chew the fish, and then just the smokiness, the fire in this dish. - [Timour] Amazing. - [Mark] That's just absolutely amazing. Stunning, and again, just like the ceviche for me, it's the simplicity, but the execution and the balance, the flavor balance is remarkable. I hope that he'll put this in a shot glass after we finish this one too. - We're not gonna get used to it, no, no, not the way we're eating. - [Mark] (laughs) No one can eat that. - [Cameraman] Duckies! (energetic rock music) - I mean, every single bite, you're enjoying it, you don't get sick of it. - Every single bite, that fish, that fish just dissolves. It just completely collapses in your mouth and like, no chewing is needed. - Never had a fish with mandarin. This is amazing, the combination of the two
together, it's amazing. Exactly, exactly. - Final bite, guys?
- All right. - [Mark] Let's split it. Timour, have some fish. - [Timour] All right. - [Mark] Just, literally, it
is a life changing stir fry. - [Timour] Cheers, you guys. - Cheers, cheers.
- Cheers. - I also love kind of the mystery of the meal here, because no menu, you just. And I think he might even
rotate dishes, you know? - Oh yeah. - Because it's very seasonal as well, and then very, I mean he's, you're gonna trust whatever he serves you, but it's also kinda
mysterious at the same time, which is awesome, but this is the final bite at this, just this is a life-changing meal. - Cheers, you guys. - Cheers, man. - And it was so much fun too. - Can't get enough. - You just wanna savor it,
you don't want to swallow. Hold it. - I may need just a little bit more juice. - Yes. Do that one more time. Yes! - Mm! - Total price for four
adults came to 545 soles, you just kinda like, yeah, it gives you a portion per person. It's up to him. (rock music) It's one of those meals
that was not only the food, but having the privilege,
the honor to hang out, and watch and learn from Chef Javier Wong. That was special, that was a precious moment
that I will never forget. You know me, how much I love spice, how much I love complexity of food, but when a chef makes something so simple with only that amount of ingredients, but makes it so perfect, that's when you know he is a master, he knows every ingredient so well. So a big thank you to Chef Javier Wong, to all of the staff, they were very, very nice, very awesome. Great to hang out with Timour as well, he's making a video, I'll have his link and his
channel in the description box. I'll be creating more
Peruvian food videos, so be sure to check out the link as well, I have it in the description box, the entire playlist of
videos about Peruvian food, you can watch them all. Thanks again for watching,
goodbye from Lima, and I can't even think straight, that was such a good meal. Thanks, I'll see you on the next video.
