Diego Muñoz Coming to 1111 Peruvian Bistro

Diego Muñoz is among the world’s most promising chefs. Yet in late January, he abandoned his post at Gastón Acurio’s Astrid y Gaston in Lima, Peru, where he had racked up award after award.

Only a few months later, Muñoz, who also worked in the kitchens of Ferran Adrià’s El Bulli and Andoni Luis Aduriz’s Mugaritz, partnered with South Miami restaurateurs Martin Monteverde and Bernhard Scholl to open Brickell’s pocket-size 1111 Peruvian Bistro (1111 SW First Ave., Miami; 786-615-9633).

The menu doesn’t scream Michelin stars. Instead, there are refined touches on Peruvian classics with Asian influences. A corvina ceviche ($14) is as traditional as can be. Meaty, translucent slices of the pristine fish are fanned onto a plate and washed in a peppy leche de tigre with plenty of ají amarillo. The lomo saltado ($36) comes with a hefty price tag and delicate presentation. Nearly identical cubes of filet mignon are cooked to a perfect medium-rare and scattered across a plate with crisped potato squares. The vinegar sauce has all of its expected pop with the richness of a fine French demi-glace.

But look carefully, and you can see the kitchen is thinking of doing more. Oysters ($18) topped with the Japanese seaweed broth called dashi, fish roe, and pickled giant corn kernels are a standout. A Thai-inspired mint salad packed with grilled prawns, duck, and pork also hints at what’s to come.

The menu will change even further. James Gallagher, a former Nobu cook who worked with Muñoz in Peru, took the reins about a month ago. The plan is to bolster the menu’s modernist leanings and enhance its Asian influences. “There will always be the ceviches, causas, and jalea,” Gallagher says, “but we’re going to change the menu every couple of months.”