Brunch, or at least breakfast, is a fairly common offering across New York City restaurants. And these morning meals often follow basic rules and menus with fairly similar offerings such as eggs, traditional omelets and maybe a Mimosa. When it comes to good food and, in particular, brunches that depart from the usual, Kantu really can do.
Kantu, which has launched a weekend brunch, in addition to its regular breakfast, makes eating an event. If lunches and dinners at restaurants truly reflect their individual menus, brunches so often appear very basic and, even, a little boring. Kantu, at 105-07 Metropolitan Ave., in Forest Hills, provides a new, creative weekend brunch option, as well as innovative breakfasts on other days, that lets diners travel back to Peru for more than a taste of Peruvian cuisine.
“It’s something different in the area,” Yasmin Rios, co-owner with Renzo Chumbiauca, a Peruvian who is the primary force behind the restaurant, said during a recent visit. “We have Italian, Greek and Japanese restaurants. We feel like we had to add something in the area for brunch.”
The US Open, played near the restaurant, may be over, but Kantu, a Peruvian restaurant in Forest Hills, lives up to its name, the Incan word for “happiness.” Renzo Chumbiauca has put together a Peruvian restaurant from décor to dishes, and has now added a brunch as an example of how restaurants can reinvent the idea of that breakfast meal, giving diners a chance for something different.
Forest Hills doesn’t have a huge Peruvian community, with more Peruvians in Jackson Heights, but Kantu gives Peruvian cuisine a nice home, from décor to dishes. Kantu creates a festive atmosphere, attracting those celebrating. On a recent visit, happy birthday renditions rang out periodically, along with a touch of tambourine.
Kantu’s Peruvian experience, and visitors’ voyage, begins with a setting that takes diners, including many Peruvians, traveling. Pottery, called guacos in Peru, paintings of Cuzco, Peruvian landscaping, Chulitas, or traditional dresses, and llamas provide some authentic décor.
The atmosphere, full of flowers that lift the spirit, is bright and authentic Peruvian, except for the modern, stylish chairs themselves, but the brunch, as well as the menu, gives diners more than just a taste of Peru, whose cuisine itself is a fusion of some international and domestic elements.
In the early 1900s, Chinese immigration to Peru helped create a fusion of Chinese and traditional Peruvian cuisine. There’s a wide range of seafood, from shrimp to snapper to calamari, with Peruvian sides such as yucca fries. Some dishes have a touch of the influence of India, such as Aji de Gallina, shredded chicken in a yellow pepper sauce served with white rice, boiled potatoes and boiled egg. You’ll find a more Chinese-like option in Peruvian fried rice with vegetables.
The brunch puts a Peruvian spin on omelets with a memorable taste and texture, including quinoa, egg whites, cheese and spinach. Brunch options also include Arroz con Pato, Tender Seco de Cabrito, Creamy Aji de Gallina, Tamal D Pollo o Chancho, Lomito al Jugo and Sauchicha Huachaa that offer colorful, flavorful ways to begin the day. You can eat with your eyes here as well, enjoying the look of dishes artfully arranged on the plate.
The regular menu offers a wide range of Peruvian dishes, from seafood to soup and much more, making it an ideal destination for diners in search of something different, such as Kantu Chukulati Cake, Pollo Saltado, Choritos a La Chalaca, Palta Rellena De Mariscos, Tallarines Verdes con Carne o Pollo and more.
Peruvian dishes often include meats, but Kantu offers vegetarian options on its regular menu that also should please diners looking for something different. These include Chaufa De Vegetales, fried rice with mixed vegetables and maduros; Saltado de Vegetales, onions, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli and pepper sautéed with soy sauce with white rice and French fries; and Tallarines a la Huancaina and Tallarin Saltado Vegetales.
In addition to brunch standards such as sangria and margaritas, they offer a range of brunch drinks, often with Pisco, a Peruvian brandy mixed with a wide range of ingredients such as lime juice, orange and bitters, as well as a wide range of wines.
While brunch Peruvian style is worthwhile, it’s worth dropping by any time of the day at Kantu. Peruvian cuisine itself is diverse. The most difficult thing for diners likely will be deciding what to order from a diverse menu. Many Peruvians already make the pilgrimage there. It might be worth doing the same.
