It’s easy for a restaurant to pay lip service to a style of cuisine, but to have a true appetite and curiosity to explore the nuances of international flavours can be rare. Which is why the recent trip to Peru undertaken by the team at First Mates, Last Laugh has quickly revealed itself as less of a holiday and more of a gastronomic statement. To truly embrace the flavours of another culture and combine them with New Zealand produce with any real authority, one must venture to the source of the inspiration.
At Westhaven Marina, First Mates, Last Laugh has always carried a Peruvian-Japanese thread through its menu, shaped by Executive Chef Cezar Takahashi’s Brazilian-Japanese heritage, his 15 years in Japanese kitchens, and his long-standing command of seafood. The team’s recent travels through Peru have not redirected that approach, but deepened it, sharpening the restaurant’s already distinctive language with first-hand experience, regional insight and the kind of sensory memory that cannot be faked.
That influence now appears across the new menu in dishes that feel confident rather than performative. Mussel escabeche arrives with toasted focaccia, while usuzukuri tiradito brings together snapper, octopus and rocoto with clean precision and heat.
Hiramasa wasabi ceviche folds kingfish, avocado and radish into something bright, disciplined and quietly thrilling, and grilled snapper with scampi bisque, mussels and confit tomato speaks to Takahashi’s ability to let seafood lead without leaving it underdressed.
What matters here is not simply that Peru has influenced the menu, but that the team has taken the time to understand it at the source. That depth shows in food that feels considered rather than borrowed, bringing new flavour to Auckland with a sense of respect, confidence and place. At First Mates, Last Laugh, the result is a menu that extends the restaurant’s Peruvian-Japanese language with more clarity, more conviction and a sharper sense of where its inspiration begins.
