Foodology Disclaimer: Silvestre Deli & Bistro approached me to do a review of their specialty dishes, I brought along 3 guys to help keep this review unbiased. All dishes are exactly what you would receive from this restaurant.
I’ve walked by Silvestre Deli and Bistro several times, but I never took notice of it since it just seems like a soup and sandwich restaurant. I was very wrong! Silvestre Deli and Bistro specializes in authentic peruvian food.
It is steps away from the Gastown Steam Clock and has some very yummy food. I came here for lunch and it was busy with people ordering Peruvian food. They also have wifi, which is always a plus.
Chicha Morada is a traditional Peruvian drink made of purple corn, fruits and spices. They make it all in-house and it’s very delicious. If you didn’t know what it is made of, you would think it’s like a juice.
Cancha are Peruvian corn nuts. It comes warm and is so much better than those bagged corn nuts we get prepackaged. These arrive at your table as you wait for you meal to arrive. So addictive!
Yuquita Frita($8) are the best fries you will ever taste! They are made of yucca, which is a popular tuber in Peru. It grows between the highlands (Andes cordillera) and the rainforest (selva peruana).
This dish is very crispy since they are quickly boiled and deep fried.
Ceviche de Pescado ($12) is made of raw fish marinated in lime juice, and then seasoned with peruvian hot peppers and onions. It is also served with boiled sweet potatoes, Peruvian cooked corn (choclo) and toasted corn (cancha).
It’s a very popular peruvian dish and it’s easily my favorite item on their menu.
Papa a la Huancaina ($10) are sliced boiled potatoes, served on a bed of lettuce topped with a slightly spicy sauce made of yellow chili, cheese and milk. It is served cold and garnished with black olives and sliced egg.
It’s not my favorite dish, but it’s like putting nacho cheese over potatoes. The guys at the table did enjoy the yellow sauce.
Causa Rellena de Camarones ($12) are layers of mashed potato seasoned with lime juice, yellow hot pepper and stuffed with shrimp and vegetables (onions, peas, carrots). It is then garnished with shrimp on top.
Anticuchos ($12) are Peruvian style skewers made of beef’s heart marinated in dried red chilli, vinegar and then grilled. It is served with potatoes in their signature chili sauce and green onions.
They guys at the table loved it and the meat was tender and flavourful.
Tamal Criollo ($9) has steamed cooked yellow corn dough seasoned with spices and chili. It is served with slices of fried pork (Chicharron), black olives and marinates onions (salsa criolla). Another one of my favorite dishes. It was really flavourful and had many depths of flavour.
Beef Empanada ($4.25) is the most popular pastry among peruvians. Some consider this pastry as a national dish that represent Peru around the world.
The Beef Empanada is pastry dough baked and filled with ground beef seasoned with peruvian spices and onions.
Spicy Shrimp Empanada ($4.25) is a fried empanada with a filling of shrimp, peruvian spices, and yellow hot pepper.
It was really good! It wasn’t too spicy at all and the filling was packed full of flavour.
Arroz Chaufa is a Peruvian fried rice made of seafood, rice, eggs, and other sauces. Pretty delicious and @cruzpresso ate it all up.
Pollo a la Brasa ($19) is a Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken marinated with peruvian spices. It is also served with salad, french fries and hot pepper sauce. The chicken is so incredibly moist and tender! Really good!
Aji De Gallina ($12) has shredded chicken in a peruvian yellow hot pepper sauce made with ground walnuts and parmesan cheese. It also comes with rice on the side. It also has more potatoes too.
Lomo Saltado ($12) has strips of sirloin stir fried with vinegar, red onions, tomatoes and peruvian mellow hot pepper. Served over French fries and accompanied with rice. It was kinda like a poutine, but not.
Lucuma Gelato is made of imported lucuma puree from Peru. Lucuma is a subtropical fruit from Peru that taste like a cross between maple and sweet potato. When we tried this gelato, it did have the distinct taste of maple and caramel.
Alfajores are delicious cookies filled with caramel milk (Dulce de leche)! It was so good and complemented the gelato. Yum!
Overall, the dishes were very unique and was full of flavour. I did find some dishes were very very carb-heavy, especially the entrees. We still enjoyed the experience and the food is pretty damn good. It’s not the type of food that would suit everyone, but if you know what type of food you like, you should have no problems at all. Some of the dishes can be a bit pricey.
I love how the owners go as far as flying in ingredients all the way from Peru to keep the food authentic as possible. Next time you pass by, give it a try.
We Rate Silvestre Deli & Bistro: 
Address:
317 Water st
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://www.silvestregustolatino.com/
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