It was cold, dank and gloomy in Lima this spring. By spring I mean October, because the seasons there are the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere.
One day, the sun peeked dimly through the overcast, and that brought throngs of strollers to the park that lines the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Some even stripped down to thin shirts to catch the rare warmth.
Others braved the open air section of Segundo Muelle, the seafood restaurant where I had managed to snag a window table on the second floor, high enough to look out toward the ocean even though I couldn’t really see it.
Despite the sun, it was cool enough to start with a bracing hot soup, chilcano de corvina. This was as simple as if a fisherman had put it together for lunch on his boat--just very fresh fish in well-seasoned broth laced with chopped 
cilantro. And yet it couldn't have been more delicious.
Segundo Muelle’s house special ceviche, chinguirito mixto, is in the style of Chiclayo in the north and very different from the average Lima ceviche. The spicy mixture combined chewy strips of dried guitarra fish, sliced octopus and black-shelled scallops—I had seen those at a seafood counter in the San Isidro Municipal Market and was anxious to try them.
Instead of the usual sweet potatoes, this ceviche came ga
rnished with sticks of bland, pale yuca, corn kernels and chifles, which are thin-cut banana chips.
Ordering is easy at Segundo Muelle. All you have to do is study the glossy picture menus. The dessert photos are especially impressive. I picked out crocante de lucuma, a tart similar to pumpkin pie only made with the local fruit lucuma. The crust was crunchy and sweet, and on top were chopped toasted nuts, a thin layer of chocolate and whipped cream.
Even if the sun had not come out, this luscious dessert would have brightened my day.
Segundo Muelle, Avenida Malecon Cisneros 156, Miraflores, Lima, Peru. Tel: 241-5040.
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