As a native of culinary melting pot Malaysia and the daughter of a restaurateur, UG student Natalie Voo knows her food. Every other week, she reviews Groningen’s student-friendly dining scene. This time: Pachamama.
I’m convinced fusion cuisine is the future. Who needs to be shackled by a single set of cooking techniques, flavors, or ingredients? Some of the most mind-blowing dishes I’ve ever tasted have been delightful cultural mash-ups.
Take Nikkei cuisine, for example – born when a wave of Japanese immigrants washed ashore in Peru. They had to get creative with local ingredients since Japanese staples were difficult to source. And let’s not forget Nobu, a celebrity magnet and the restaurant chain that took Nikkei global!
This is why I’m obsessed with gastronomy; there’s always a juicy backstory behind every dish, and you can learn so much about a culture just by digging into its food. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard Nikkei was finally making its debut in Groningen.
The food
We kicked things off with salmon sashimi in creamy tigermilk – a sauce made with lime juice, onion and peppers that paired beautifully with the zesty punch of passionfruit and the cold, refreshing wasabi sorbet. Divine!
Then came our mains: kimchi mole beef brisket and cod with olluco – a tuber with a taste that’s reminiscent of beetroot – and rocoto peppers. The brisket was a glorious melt-in-your-mouth experience, packed with robust beefy goodness, though I’m still scratching my head over where the kimchi or mole flavors snuck off to. The cod was well-cooked but felt like the quiet kid in class – not bad, just not stealing the spotlight. However, the layered olluco inca with rocoto peppers was a lovely flavor explosion.
The service
Service was top-notch and attentive. One waiter even went above and beyond when I asked about an ingredient he couldn’t explain in English – he did his homework and came back to enlighten me, so major props for that. The ambiance was sophisticated, complete with mood lighting, perfect for date nights or any special occasions. Also, can we talk about how thrilled I am that Pachamama replaced Donna’s Social Club? Talk about a major upgrade!
My only tiny quibble is that the Nikkei theme felt a bit inconsistent; I mean, kimchi is distinctively Korean and mole is distinctively Mexican. But hey, it’s still a fabulous and unique dining experience in Groningen that you wouldn’t want to miss!
Pachamama, Nieuwe Markt 7
An elegant Japanese and Peruvian fusion restaurant located near the Forum. For two people we spent €62.50.
Ratings
Food: 9/10
Presentation: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambience: 10/10