A Peruvian-Nikkei pop-up experience combining ceviche and pisco sour: Pop Up Restaurant Tio Pisco (7. June 2024)
The Tio Pisco is a new pop-up in Zurich, which had opened only two days ago! Hence, I felt like I should give it a try. Their focus is on ceviche and pisco sour – a relatively simple combination, but also a great combination, which goes super well together. We decided to give the menu a full try and started with the “Ceviche Clásico (el comienzo) (sea bass, red onion, lime juice)” (CHF 25.00), which turned out to be one of my favourites. It’s simple, but it’s absolutely delicious. Perfectly balanced, with a tiny bit of spiciness due to the onions, and the fresh and tasty fish.
Next in line was the “Ceviche de atún pasión (primer paso) (tuna, leche de tigre passion, ginger, sesame seeds)” (CHF 26.00), which was fine too. Frankly, a bit different from the regular ceviche, but the sauce in which it was served was exquisite and truly mouth-watering.
The “Tiradito Asia – Perú (el avance) (salmon, oriental juice, oriental pickles, sweet potato)” (CHF 26.00) was fine too. I liked the Asian touch in the dish, which made a lot of sense, since the idea of the pop-up is to combine Peruvian flavours with Nikkei flavours (i.e., Japanese flavours).
Then, we tried a few warm dishes like the “pulpo nikkei (mar) (miso sauce/panca, yucca foam)” (CHF 28.00), which worked great in terms of combination of flavours and textures. Personally, I found the foam a tiny bit too overwhelming, but the pulpo was delicious, and it was, most importantly, tender (which isn’t a given).
The “pan al vapor (tierra) (glazed pork-belly, tamarind sauce, pickles, creamy rocoto sauce)” (CHF 28.00) was, of all the dishes, my least favourite one. I love pork belly, but the buns of the ‘burger’ were definitely too fluffy and had the texture of bao buns. That isn’t a bad thing per se, but it turned out to be too domineering in terms of flavour profile, which was a pity, as I liked the contents of the burger.
Last but not leats, the “Wok (mar y montaña) (stir-fried beef, prawns, vegetables, soy sauce, rice)” (CHF 32.00) was good as well. I liked the combination of flavours, and it was representing the combination of Peruvian and Japanese flavours well. And frankly, even the rather unexpected combination of prawns with beef worked rather well.
The place has been repurposed, if you want to call it that way, since it is usually another restaurant. Personally, it’s a bit too traditional for my gusto, but I liked the fact that you have quite a bit of space in the place – much more than you would usually expect to have.
All in all, the Tio Pisco is a welcome change to the pop-up scene in Zurich – definitely haven’t seen such a pop-up. So, just make sure that you visit it while it is still up and running.
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Contact Details:
Pop Up Restaurant Tio Pisco
Rotwandstrasse 62
8004 Zürich (CH)
Tel.: +41 79 673 74 85
E-Mail: tiopisco2024@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.tiopisco.com
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
