Brunch at Coya: Peruvian Delicacies With a Price Tag

Sunday at Coya isn't for an average patron hungry for bacon, eggs, and a stack of pancakes.

Brunch at the high-end Peruvian locale on Brickell Avenue is sophisticated, with four courses, a medley of Latin flavors, and a hefty price tag. And make note: It's much more lunch than breakfast oriented. 

Upon arrival, diners are faced with a slew of decisions: Seat location, menu type, and appetizer choices.

Decide between a table inside, near the appetizer bar and adjacent the kitchen, or outside on a leafy, enchanted-like terrace. If the temperature is below 75, opt for a terrace-side seat. 

Next pick your poison, also known as how much cash you're willing to splurge on today's rendezvous. The "Aguas Calientes" includes limitless rosé wine and a choice of four entrees for $75. The "Machu Picchu" subs rosé for champagne, and has four different entree choices for $95. Both include a gourmet starter buffet, signature anticuchos, and desserts.

Now to the important part: the food. Start at the buffet with a range of ceviches, tiraditos, maki rolls, causas, and salads. Choose between ceviche de zucchini with shiitake, mint, and garlic chips; ceviche de chifa with yellowfin tuna, soy, sesame seeds, and rice crackers; and ceviche clasico with sea bass, sweet potato, and white corn — or make it easy and try all three.

Find an assortment of tiraditos including yellowtail and salmon; mini gazpacho soups; bite-size tacos with queso and salmon; and Latin-style quinoa and egg salad dishes. Visits to the buffet are endless throughout brunch-time. While you munch, the table will be given anticuchos, marinated skewers cooked on a charcoal grill, and a basket of garlic and cheese bread, too.

Once the first, and most likely second, round of plates are cleared, expect your entrees. For those ordering off the less expensive menu, main plates include a salmon dish with cucumber and mint; Hanger steak with stir fried quinoa and vegetables; duck confit; or papa seca, a traditional Peruvian dish made with dried potatoes, butternut squash, and a poached egg. Yellow sweet grilled corn on the cob is brought table-side too.

The upped menu includes a roasted chicken plate, spicy beef tenderloin, and papa seca added with forest mushrooms. One of Coya's signature dishes, arroz nikkei, made with Chilean sea bass, rice, lime, and chili, is offered too. For the table, expect chaufa, made with wok stir fried quinoa, vegetables, fried egg, and bacon.

For a sweet finish, eaters are brought a tasting selection of the locale's best dulces. Among them are a profiterole topped with liquid chocolate, flan drizzled in caramel, Key lime pie, and a chocolate mousse.  

Brunch runs Sundays from noon to 3 p.m. For more information and reservations, visit coyarestaurant.com/miami. 

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