The ‘AMANCAES’ flower grows in Peru in the hills of Lima, between the fog and the cold of the Pacific. It only blooms once a year, in the middle of winter, when everything seems greyer, more arid, more silent. And yet, it dares to shine. It is yellow, vibrant and brief. It is bold, just like the people of Lima. It is a celebration, of sorts, that doesn’t wait for everything to be right before it bursts forth.

For generations, the Amancaes flower was also a place: a meeting point where Peruvians and immigrants met. They gathered to share customs, music, food, and hope. It is a symbol of unity and life together. In 2024, that flower bloomed again. This time, in Valencia! ‘Amancaes’ opened its doors to celebrate a fusion of cultures. This is a gastronomic journey between Peru and the Mediterranean. This is a cuisine that, like a flower, defies the seasons and transforms the grey into colour. Because celebrating, here too, is a way of resisting…and of living too.

‘Amancaes’ blooms on C/ Conde Altea , 39, in the heart of heart of Cánovas —one of the most vibrant gastronomic neighbourhoods in Valencia. But beyond its location, what really defines this place is what happens behind closed doors. The ‘Amancaes’ restaurant is always open for meetings. Here, service is not limited to caring: it welcomes, listens and celebrates. Hospitality is lived with closeness and authenticity, turning every meal into an experience shared, and each visit a special occasion.

The Cooks, waiters, bartenders and dining room managers… they are here not just to  serve: they tell stories, transmit emotions and make flavour a bridge between cultures. Because in ‘Amancaes’, the most important thing: is what is shared. Discover the ‘Amancaes’ menu…

PERUVIAN CULTURE WITH VALENCIAN TOUCHES

The kitchen is a meeting point. It is at the forefront of Amancaes’ gastronomic offering. There are Eduardo Ferré and Vincenzo Lulli, two chefs who share the same vision: cooking from the source, with the heart set on Peru and the gaze open to the Mediterranean. Together they have built a menu that fuses Peruvian tradition with local sensitivity, adapting flavours without losing their identity. The result is a culinary journey… a mestizo, where each dish finds balance between what is remembered and what is rediscovered. At ‘Amancaes’, the cuisine doesn’t impose: it converses. And that conversation continues at the bar, with a proposal of cocktails that accompanies, enhances and completes the experience, both in taste and emotion.

24/7 Valencia: Could you tell us more about AMANCAES?

AMANCAES: “This is a ‘carta’ that tells stories. And we do it at the table. We don’t just talk about recipes, but of stories that cross oceans and generations, that are born in the Andes and are transformed into the Mediterranean, which evoke a lively, street-wise Lima mixed race.

 Our letter is a chronicle of encounters: between cultures, ingredients and people. Each preparation carries with it an origin, an adaptation and an emotion. From the freshness from the Amancaes ceviche —with sea bass, shrimp, octopus and rocoto tiger’s milk— to the subtlety of the cause Limeña, with low-temperature chicken breast. 

 We also have anticuchera banderilla, inspired by the streets of Peru, with veal heart; Huancaína style leeks with acorn-fed ham; or ‘ají de gallina’, a recipe that speaks from the soul. Here flavours merge. Bonds are forged; memories are shared and celebrated, dish by dish. Indeed, it is all part of the beauty of celebrating our differences via different dishes.”

24/7 Valencia: Can you tell us about the  Amancaes cocktail bar?

AMANCAES : “Whoever crosses the door of Amancaes not only comes to eat: they come to celebrate. And every celebration, in this house has a liquid soul. Our cocktail bar is a tribute to the mix of races, a sensory journey that travels from Peru to the heart from all over Latin America, serving in each glass. The classic pisco sour, the algarrobo sour or the cathedral sour. They are recipes that awaken memory, open the heart and turn any afternoon—or that last toast of the night— in a ceremony of life. Because here we don’t toast to perfection, but to what we’ve experienced. And each cocktail is a way of honouring it.”

Report by ‘24/7 Valencia’ team

Article copyright ‘24/7 Valencia’

Photos copyright Carlos Tommas/ Brava agency