>Kotosh — marriage made in heaven

>I’m not a huge fan of fusion cuisine and when I heard that Kotosh was a Peruvian/ Japanese restaurant I was feeling less than excited about it. Still, I went along and met some friends only to find that it wasn’t a fusion of Peruvian and Japanese, but rather, a menu of Peruvian and Japanese items. I immediately perked up because I am a HUGE fan of Peruvian food and I am a HUGE fan of Japanese food and the gimmick of having both under the same roof was somewhat of a novelty to me. One of my friends has had the Japanese food here before and she recommended that we stick with the Peruvian, so that’s what we did starting off with the ceviche mixto, a really tantalizing salad of raw seafood marinated in a tart sauce and served with roasted corn kernels. The seafood basically ‘cooks’ in the citrus juice and is such a wonderful start to any Peruvian meal. Another dish I always order at Peruvian restaurants is lomo saltado, a stir-fried dish consisting of onions, tomatoes and french fries with a choice of meat — beef is usually my preferred way to eat lomo saltado. Unfortunately, the lomo saltado here was just okay, I’ve definitely had better elsewhere, but what really shone was the pescado a lo macho (pictured) — a lightly battered fish, calamari and shrimp combo topped with a heavenly sauce. It was my first time trying this and I immediately fell in love with it. No Peruvian meal is complete without aji sauce and the one here is on the mild side — for my over-zealous palate — which would appeal to a wider range of tastes. Cozy, tasty and very very becoming — I would definitely visit more often if it were closer to me!

Kotosh, 2408 Lomita Blvd, Lomita, CA 90717. Tel: 310-257-1363