With a menu entirely dedicated to lamb meat, the Venezuelan Lamb in the capital Caracas, was elected the new restaurant from Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants an award that ranks the best restaurants in Latin America since 2013.
Winner of American Express One To Watch Award 2023 , which will be awarded in an in-person ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on November 28, Cordero is the first restaurant in Venezuela to be recognized with the award. The Curitiba restaurant Manu, by Manu Buffara, already won the same distinction in 2018, for example.
Founded in June 2022 by chef Issam Koteich with the partner Pedro Khalil Cordero is located inside a shopping mall in the Venezuelan capital and works with animal protein coming directly from Ubre Project a farm about 40 minutes from Caracas led by Khalil.
The farm was responsible for the pioneering breeding of Assaf sheep in Venezuela, with the aim of popularizing the consumption of the animal in the country.
With the work surrounding the animal’s meat, Cordero is seen today as a symbol of the country’s gastronomic renaissance and an important part of the gastronomic appreciation movement in Caracas.
“We are very honored by this international recognition and, above all, to see our country and the high-quality local products served at Cordero being honored around the world,” said Koteich and Kalil in gratitude for the award.
The menu
From starter to dessert, all of Cordero’s menu items have lamb in common. The à la carte choices are seasonal and derive from lamb or sheep, whether in the form of animal protein or dairy. The tasting menu is served eight times in the house’s private dining rooms.
Contemporary preparations may be on the menu such as: lamb tartare with beach bredo (herb considered a PANC), limonera ant, lemongrass and basil; lamb croquette with roasted garlic aioli and smoked apple purée; and grilled lamb tongue with creamy tuna, onion and caper sauce.
In addition to meats, Proyecto Ubre also supplies the restaurant’s pantry with dairy products, vegetables and edible flowers.
50 Best in Rio
In addition to the new restaurant, two other awards from Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023 have already been revealed: the Brazilian chef Janaína Torres Rueda was chosen as the Best Chef in Latin America and the Argentine chef Dolli Irigoyen was honored with the Icon of the Year award .
The ceremony for the current edition, which will reveal the list of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America in 2023, will take place on November 28th in Rio de Janeiro.
It is worth remembering that Brazil had 10 restaurants among the 50 best in Latin America in the last award list, with emphasis on The Pig House in the center of São Paulo, which won 4th place.
Source: CNN Brasil
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