HOUSTON RESTAURANT ALORA INTRODUCES PERUVIAN-VIETNAMESE FUSION TO MONTROSE

Peru is known for various cuisines that infuse Latin and Peruvian ingredients with Asian flavors. Japanese immigrants have popularized Nikkei cuisine, and Chinese populations living in Peru have created Chifa, a culinary tradition that merges Peruvian and Cantonese cooking styles. Now, one Houston couple is asking: “Why not Vietnamese?”

Married couple Diego and Makayla Ponce are the chefs behind the new Peruvian and Vietnamese restaurant Alora, which opened at 2502 Dunlavy Street on Thursday, January 2, in Montrose. Diego Ponce, a graduate of Lima’s Instituto Cultural Peruano Norteamericano culinary school in Lima who previously worked at the Four Seasons Hotel and Post Oak Hotel in Houston, says it’s always been his dream to open a business or small food truck. The aptly-named restaurant (Alora means “beautiful dream” in Latin) is the brainchild of Diego and Makayla Ponces and owners Ngoc Tran and Louis Lamson Quy, who serve as general manager and leader of operations, respectively.

Alora’s all-day menu launched with 16 dishes that combine staples and flavors from Vietnamese and Peruvian cuisines. Aji de gallina crispy spring rolls offer a spin on egg rolls, wrapping a version of comforting, creamy Peruvian yellow pepper chicken stew in a crispy wrap with a side of tangy olive mousseline for dipping. “PeruViet” ceviche is a menu staple, along with the Shaking Lomo Saltado, a fusion of a lomo saltado, a popular marinated Peruvian beef stir-fry dish served with french fries, and shaking beef, a popular Vietnamese dish that uses similar high-heat cooking techniques. Other highlights include the Ca Ri Shrimp — Gulf shrimp, sweet potato in yellow curry over vermicelli noodles, and a tender al pastor pork chop served with jicama salad and cilantro rice. Diners can also experience kem xoi, warm pandan sticky rice topped with a toasted coconut ice cream, and the Cinco Leches, Diego Ponce’s spin on tres leches that’s made with heavy cream, and condensed, evaporated, whole, and coconut milks, with a touch of lucuma, a fruit native to areas in Peru and Chile.

Cocktails also feature interpretations Peruvian-Vietnamese flavors, including the Ponce passionfruit pisco sour, a Pho-quila that features a pho aroma-infused tequila, and a floral Cup of Tea cocktail featuring jasmine green tea-infused gin. Red, white, and sparkling wines are also available.

Makayla Ponce says Tran and Quy, a married couple who are of Vietnamese descent, approached them with the prospect of opening a restaurant last year. Both she and Diego Ponce, who is originally from Peru, thought it would be great to fuse their cultures. The team then took a 10-day trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, with Tran, who is originally from Hanoi, Vietnam, and Quy, a Ho Chi Minh City native, where they explored coffee shops, markets, restaurants, and street food stalls to help flesh out the vision for Alora. They settled on a cozy and comforting mash-up of some of the most popular Vietnamese and Peruvian dishes, with Tran’s mother often assisting as sous chef (Makayla Ponce says Tran’s mother wraps the best egg rolls).

Diego says Peru has not yet adopted a Vietnamese fusion, likely because the population is not large as some of its other Asian communities. The World Factbook, managed by the U.S.’s Central Intelligence Agency, states that around 1.2 percent of Peru’s population is considered “other,” which notably includes people of Chinese and Japanese descent. The 2017 Peru Census stated that more than 22,500 people self-identified as Nikkei, and 14,300 identified as Tusan, which refers to people of Chinese descent who were born in Peru. The Vietnamese population has not been recorded.

Though Alora has created what might be an entirely new fusion, they say it’s not meant to be traditional Peruvian or Vietnamese in any way. Instead, it’s a new take in a city where various cultures interact and merge daily.

“I know people in Houston are very adventurous, so to put Peruvian and Vietnamese cuisine together — that’s something we haven’t heard of,” Makayla Ponce says.

The restaurant, which is still undergoing some rebranding, replaces Kau Ba, a Viet-Cajun restaurant helmed by chef Nikki Tran. Kau Ba closed in early November, with Tran stating that it would undergo some renovations and relocate elsewhere. On November 11, the Michelin Guide honored Kau Ba with a Bib Gourmand, which recognizes “good quality food at a good value,” but the international restaurant rating system later rescinded the designation after learning that the restaurant was closed. Tran called it a “heartbreaking situation” in a statement but stated that she understood and respected Michelin’s decision. She said she could not comment more because of legalities.

Makayla Ponce says while the Alora team has an amicable relationship with Tran, who is now in Vietnam, the restaurants are entirely different and under new ownership despite the Kau Ba sign still hanging overhead outside.

Alora will hold its grand opening on January 29 to celebrate Lunar New Year. The Ponces recommend new diners come with open minds, noting that they’ll be adding more items to the menu and a happy hour in the coming months. “We want to bring the best experience,” Diego Ponce says. “Whatever we do is from the heart.”

2025-01-10T15:05:52Z