Urko

I absolute LOVE to be surprised. When a restaurant makes me sit up and take notice.

I did not expect this tiny restaurant in Quito, Ecuador to make my favorite restaurants list. But course after course, Teresa and I kept glancing at each other with a look like "Whoa!!! Are you having the same reaction??"

We were.

This tiny restaurant had a number of question marks going into it. We found some of our travel companions had booked the same restaurant a half hour earlier. I messaged the restaurant to see if we could come in and sit together. "Sure. No problem." Another couple wanted to join us, so I messaged again to see if there was room for 2 more. "Not a problem."

For a restaurant with 20 total seats, this was disconcerting. I would have expected them to be sold out weeks in advance. Wondered if we made a mistake.

We arrived and the door was locked. Looked around and found a residential buzzer, which I rang. Took a few minutes and someone let us in. He was not overly friendly or welcoming. Strike two.

The restaurant was completely empty. The few servers looked at us awkwardly, as did the chefs from the fairly open kitchen. What were we about to sit through...?

Urko means "Mountain" and the restaurant has four distinct seasons that follow the ancestral cycles. The 11 course menu is $80/pp. I sat down expecting "fine". What we got was an incredible array of small plates which were so varied, so simple, yet so deep and delicious, that I couldn't help but think "Who IS this guy??"

The bites went from Mexican to New Nordic to fine dining to Ecuadorian. None of them look like much - a few identifiable ingredients put together in a simple, inviting way. The physical space reflected the same, with simple wooden tables and basic clay vessels as presentation. But the deception continued through each dish as they varied one from another and delivered unique and outstanding flavors and textures covering such a wide range of cuisines and profiles.

The dish the blew me away was the goldenberry dish. The confidence required by a chef to provide a dish that is THAT simple, allowing the phenomenally sourced ingredients to speak and sing for themselves, without adding more than that very minimum required...I shook my head at the maturity there. (Though...that mushroom dish was groan-worthy!)

Our server was a bit removed at the beginning, but warmed up throughout the meal. The entire way, she was present and very attentive - happy to get us whatever we wanted. The wine pairings she provided were also stellar! The wines themselves as well as how they paired.

As I headed out, I approached the chef and shook his hand, thanking him profusely for such an outstanding meal. He seemed deferential, like he didn't quite understand why I was doing something like that. Outside, as we waited for our ride home, he came out and Teresa told him "We went to Central last night. We both think your restaurant is better." He was floored. 

Folks, this place is off the charts good. It seems that even THEY don't know it yet. And surely (given the empty restaurant), not enough people do. This place lands on my list of favorites around the globe. While they are not forging new ground, the diversity of what you are served and the deceptively complex simplicity dish to dish will have me dreaming of returning to Urko again and again.

If you're anywhere near Ecuador, this place is a MUST.