Casa Julián
Ecuador
Casa Julián serves chef Santiago Nieto’s Ecuadorian cooking beside the water at Hotel del Parque in Samborondón, near Guayaquil. Local ingredients and contemporary techniques form the restaurant’s approach, with fish and seafood playing a substantial role in the menu. The kitchen also draws on regional soups and stews, exploring ingredients such as avocado, banana and cocoa through different flavours and textures. Its waterfront setting is connected with the hotel’s historic buildings and tropical gardens, giving the restaurant a place within the wider Parque Histórico environment. Traditional Ecuadorian cooking remains the foundation for the kitchen’s more inventive preparations.