Fusion with a View
Now and then there’s a new place that pops up in El Salvador that becomes the talk of the town. For a while, it has been a fusion restaurant named Brutto. Brutto has chic modern architecture with an Asian influence. Brutto is located on the top floor of Bambu City Center, in La Zona Rosa, El Salvador.
The Arrival
Brutto is only accessible through two elevators. The first elevator is located outside the main entrance of Bambu City Center and it will take you directly to the restaurant. The second elevator is inside the center but you’ll have to go through a few escalators and restaurants to get there.
One of the positive qualities is the view from the balcony which permits a sight of the city of El Salvador and its volcanos. When you arrive, the server will accommodate you at your table. A complimentary piece of cheese sprinkled with truffles is served with small loaves of bread. An ice bucket is placed near your table for water and other drinks.
During the day service is fast and great because the place is practically empty. During the night, it’s jam-packed and the service is awful. A waiter took over twenty minutes to serve my table two cocktails and a beer.
Sushi Bar
I’ve ordered four different plates of sushi. At times, I felt offended the moment the plates arrived at my table. I ordered the Ménage à Trois ($15) which comes with 12 portions of Sushi: four tuna, four salmon, and four white tuna. The fish felt soggy as if they recently thawed it out from the freezer. Each portion felt much smaller than normal-sized sushi.
I disliked that the Ménage à Trois portions are served on top of soy sauce. By the time the plate is given to me the fish has already absorbed the soy sauce. The user is always supposed to decide to dip the sushi apart in the sauce. Having the soy on the plate causes a mess. Sushi accidentally fell on its side, splashing the nearby area.
The Alaska ($12) plate of sushi came with salmon, avocado, tempura flakes, and Philadelphia cream cheese wrapped in soybean paper. I disliked it had cream cheese and soybean paper as I’m not the type to enjoy experimental sushi.
The Dragon Brutto ($14) wasn’t that bad but I was expecting a lot more salmon roe eggs when I saw ikura on the ingredients. They put one single egg and it’s not enough to enjoy the one-of-a-kind experience.
Bigger Plates
The crab legs cost an absurd amount of forty dollars ($40). They tasted pretty stale. I’d recommend you instead buy an entire bag of crab legs at Super Marino. The artichoke pizza wasn’t bad either.
There was a plate with tiny portions of fish served in aluminum sardine cans. I felt like I was one of those filthy alleyway cats eating out of a trash bin. I was appalled to see small pieces of edamame outside the soybean pod and placed on green jalapenos. You’re given chopsticks to pick up these small pieces which are difficult to pick up properly due to the can size. Why couldn’t they serve it in one single bowl? The thing I most enjoyed about this plate was the small chunks of ice underneath.
Drinks
I ordered a pleasant purple gin cocktail. It came with an orange peel, which I removed and it tasted much better. You get to feel a soft buzz with one. I ordered another gin with cucumber and it wasn’t as enjoyable. It didn’t feel as properly mixed and tasted bitter.
Flowers
The employees at Brutto El Salvador decorate some dishes with flowers. The flowers are an aesthetically appealing touch but they interfere with the food. They aren’t edible and can confuse people into thinking they are. I believe the flowers should be kept apart.
Preview Verdict
I’m always open to trying out new things but I wasn’t interested in Bruttos fusion cuisine. The food was OK, to say the least. My experience at Brutto wasn’t bad but it could’ve been better.
It’s one of those restaurants that try to have a posh facade. Brutto is a place to take a nice Instagram photo. The food isn’t great and the looks are mostly for show. There are better restaurants in El Salvador worth your time and money. Brutto isn’t one of them unless you’re willing to burn a few to look cool.
I will be returning to continue to try out other dishes and see if they’ve improved. What was your experience like?
More Treasures to Discover
Learn about the latest news in El Salvador through Walkway, a free extension developed for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Enjoy photographs of El Salvador, taken by national photographers, every time you open a new tab. The Walkway extension is perfect for locals, tourists, and people who love to travel. It’s also a portal to continue enjoying the content on Life’s Hectic.
