Leo is an iconic restaurant in Bogotá. I don’t know if she was the first to dive deep into the jungles, rivers and ocean of Colombia to showcase its pristine and often forgotten ingredients, but she definitely championed them. You have two different menus when you eat at Leo. One is what you actually eat, while the other is a map of their 44 most emblematic ingredients and where in Colombia they come from. The interesting question about dining at Leo is therefore how they are able to transform these ingredients and give the customer a feeling of having visited every part of Colombia while dining in the heart of Bogotá.
You start with 10 bite-sized snacks that arrive on three different plates. What struck me first was what meets the eyes. Bright blue and green plates and one built to look like a mountain chain. Yes, Leonor’s artistic side is in full bloom, and no, I have never seen dishes presented quite like this before. Neither have I tried caiman, suckermouth catfish or five other ingredients I had never heard of, such as achica and ucuye. This also means that the menu descriptions of ingredients I had never heard of were not always the most helpful. But then again, a dish is not defined only by its ingredients, but by how it makes you feel. These snacks made me feel like I was discovering Colombia together with her, hand in hand. I just missed the sun on my face and the sound of the rivers to make it complete.
Yes, the presentations are spectacular at Leo, so much was clear at this point. The next dish was not just a bowl of flowers, but it looked like one. It was therefore only fitting that it was served with the most basic and comforting dish of the menu: a piece of fluffy, brioche-like bread naturally baked with a local flour. Flowers are always beautiful, and yet my favorite presentation came next. Blue crab served together with white fish. The bowl was the most beautiful and fitting I have ever seen: bright green and shaped like a big shell, looking like the natural hiding place of the crab. The symbolism was fitting, and the dish was incredibly delicious, with the bright fish and comforting curry-like flavours of the rice and crab.
From here, it would get even more exotic. One of my favorite Latin American ingredients is paiche. It’s a fish that lives in the warm Amazonian rivers and can grow up to two metres. It’s a predator, and I guarantee you that you have never tried anything quite like it. Naturally, Leo doesn’t serve it like I have had it before. Part of the collar was grilled, while two different parts of the flesh had been cut thin and treated in a way that gave them a soft, candy-like texture. So yes, I loved everything about it.
From creative and exotic, the last savory dish would be more traditional and comforting. But what it lacked in creativity, it more than made up for in deliciousness. Thin slices of veal, extremely crispy “onions” and a classic demi-glace sauce, which I was glad I had saved a bit of the bread from earlier to soak up. It was perfect.
Three lovely dishes would finish my experience at Leo. First, a white cotton candy. A sweet that I have never really liked, especially not in fine-dining restaurants. But here, the exaggerated sweetness was replaced by bright acidity, making it a perfect transition to the desserts. This was, however, overshadowed by an absolutely delicious next dish of honey and beeswax. The first dish of the menu that looked simple, and its flavour profile was just as simple. But that was the whole point: focus on the product. Something that carried over to the last dish of the meal, a dish with just one ingredient, cassava, which even looked like a cassava.
Even though I lived in Lima for three years and have travelled through Latin America several times over the last decade, it is still an incredible feeling to discover new ingredients. That feeling becomes less common, and when it happens, it fills me with childlike enthusiasm. Leo did just that.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: the absolute best restaurants mirror the personality of the chef. Restaurant Leo absolutely mirrors that of Leonor. I chatted with her during the meal, and it’s obvious that she is both very artistic and has a big heart. These two sides meet perfectly at Leo. She uses ingredients from isolated places, working directly with communities to create and improve them. Once they arrive at Leo, she uses a disciplined mindset to turn them into highly artistic dishes. This is obvious from the moment you see not only the first dish, but also the plate it is served on.
What surprised me most, though, was her dedication and focus. Several of the dishes were served using just one or two ingredients. That takes a lot of skill, but also a focus and dedication that I usually associate with parts of Spain and Japan. This mix of the two is unique, and I loved Leo for it. Both the philosophy and the flavours she creates are delicious and exciting.
The masterful pairing by her daughter, Laura Espinosa, lifts the experience further. Lately, I almost always do a mix of alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings. As it turned out, most of it was produced in-house. This is a trend I see more and more in Latin America, where wine is substituted with “cocktails”. A solution that I truly support, especially since wine menus in the past have often disappointed me in Latin America. Here, I found that the dedication and skill that went into the pairings were at the same level as the food. The flavour compositions were deep and complex, exactly like a wine. So no, it was not just five juices mixed together.
Practical information
Headchef: Leonora Espinosa
Location: Bogota, Columbia
Menu: à la carte and tasting menu
Booking: www.restauranteleo.com
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