5/5 Lisa T. 2 months ago on Google • 14 reviews New
We’ve
eaten
at
Maito
before
and
the
food
has
been
very
good
but
this
time
we
tried
the
tasting
menu
and
wine
pairing
and
we
thought
it
was
spectacular.
The
tasting
menu
showcased
-
very
succinctly-
why
Maito
is
#100
on
the
World’s
Best
Restaurant
List
and
#6
on
the
Latin
America
list.
The
tasting
menu
was
seven
savory
courses
and
two
dessert
courses
-
and
every
dish
was
fabulous.
The
sommelier
did
an
excellent
job
of
pairing
the
7
courses
with
6
wines
and
one
sake
and
dessert
was
complemented
by
a
very
aromatic
cup
of
geisha
coffee.
Bread
and
butter
was
first.
The
bread
was
buttery,
flaky
profiterole-style
small
buns
accompanied
by
saril
butter.
The
saril
gave
the
butter
a
nice
tartness
and
the
combo
of
that
tartness
with
creaminess
of
the
butter
and
richness
of
the
bun
was
excellent.
The
first
dish
was
sancocho.
The
chicken
was
smoked
with
nance
wood
and
that
gave
the
soup
a
profound
and
wonderful
flavor
and
aroma.
It
was
superb.
Next
was
a
papaya
mango
salad
(made
with
ripe
and
green
papaya)
flavored
with
ajo
chili.
This
dish
was
a
terrific
sweet
and
spicy
combo
of
flavors.
The
wine
pairing
was
a
crisp
and
minerally
white
from
Spain.
(See
the
wine
picture
for
the
specifics).
Third
was
a
kampachi
dish
done
chombasia
style
-
a
combination
of
Asian,
Afro,
Caribbean
flavors.
This
dish
had
some
heat
and
was
nicely
flavored
with
ginger
and
chives.
We
ate
it
on
top
of
the
super
crispy
patacones
that
came
with
it
-
which
provided
a
nice
contrast
in
textures.
The
wine
pairing
was
an
Australian
Riesling
which
was
a
perfect
pairing
for
the
spiciness
in
this
dish.
Next
was
a
shrimp
dumpling.
For
us
this
was
a
super
star
dish.
It
was
a
fusion
of
Afro
Panamanian
and
Chinese
cuisine.
The
dumpling
was
cooked
to
perfection-
the
shrimp
was
perfectly
cooked
and
the
dough
had
just
the
right
amount
of
al
dente
It
was
served
in
a
curry
sauce
that
was
slightly
spicy
and
had
notes
of
anise.
The
sauce
was
amazing.
Our
only
suggestion
here
was
the
dish
needed
“a
wiper”
for
the
sauce
because
we
didn’t
want
to
leave
a
drop
on
the
plate.
This
was
paired
with
a
rose
from
Greece
that
had
a
lovely
flowery
aroma.
The
next
dish
was
also
stellar
-
and
somewhat
of
a
surprise
as
it
was
ñame.
It
was
steamed
and
then
barbecued
and
served
with
a
sauce
of
lychee,
ají
chombo
and
ron
abuelo.
This
sauce
was
out
of
this
world
delicious.
Then
came
a
grilled
langostino
-
once
again
perfectly
cooked
-
with
curry
and
ginger
flavors.
This
was
paired
with
a
sake
which
didn’t
work
for
me,
but
my
husband
enjoyed
the
combination.
The
final
savory
dish
was
kampachi
done
chombasia
style;
the
coconut,
chili
and
cilantro
flavors
were
wonderful.
It
came
with
coconut
rice
made
with
coconut
oil,
and
it
had
a
very
prominent
-
and
quite
tasty
-
coconut
flavor
that
blended
well
with
the
coconut
flavors
in
the
fish.
The
first
of
the
desserts
was
geisha
focused.
It
included
a
cream
of
geisha
topped
with
a
thin,
crispy
layer
of
caramel.
The
creamy-crunchy
texture
combination
worked
very
well
and
as
did
the
flavor
combos.
The
flavors
and
aroma
from
the
geisha
coffee
(which
was
beautifully
made
table
side)
wrapped
everything
together.
The
second
dessert
I
thought
was
another
highlight
of
the
meal.
It
was
a
corn
fritter
filled
with
a
local
cheese
and
a
scoop
of
ice
cream
made
from
the
local
cheese
-
both
served
in
a
sweet
sauce
made
from
corn
and
spiced
with
some
pepper.
It
was
another
outstanding
combination.
In
particular
I
thought
the
sauce
was
fantastic.
The
geisha
coffee
also
complemented
this
dish
nicely.
We
dined
on
the
terrace.
There
were
a
lot
of
fans
so
we
found
it
comfortable.
The
tables
are
also
quite
far
apart
so
and
it
was
quiet.
Service
was
generally
quite
attentive.
Our
only
quibble
was
that
we
had
to
chase
them
in
the
beginning
for
drinks
and
the
sometimes
took
a
bit
too
long
to
refill
water
glasses.
But
all
the
servers
and
sommelier
did
a
wonderful
job
of
describing
the
dishes
and
wine
pairings.
We
thought
this
was
one
of
the
best
meals
we’ve
ever
had
in
Panama.
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