Peruvian cuisine has certainly made its mark on the capital in recent years, no thanks to Fitzrovia’s Lima. The restaurant, launched and run by brothers Gabriel and José-Luis Gonzalez, celebrated 10 years on the London dining scene this year and was the first Peruvian restaurant to win a Michelin star.
With dishes starring ingredients that are native to South America but created with seasonal British produce, the menu celebrates the flavours of the Peruvian capital and the uniquely diverse cuisine of this delicious country.
Close to Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road, this spot on Rathbone Place is at once cosy and spacious, drenched in natural light thanks to its giant skylight. Their tasting menu, with six courses capturing some of the most popular dishes, is a very reasonable £70 a head, with a £35 drinks pairing available, and with an even more reasonable set menu at £27 for two courses or £35 there’s no excuse not to visit. Trust us, it’s worth every penny.
Ordering à la carte however, we started with the melt in the mouth Tuna Tiradito, with chipirones, aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chilli pepper) and tiger’s milk. The Octopus & Prawns Causa, accompanied with crushed potato, botija olives, cevichera sauce and tobiko trout roe, is a masterful combination of flavours. But it’s the Secreto Iberico a la Brasa, that’s the standout dish. The perfectly tender pork, with Andean tubers - the always impressive purple potato - salsa tari and soy caviar, is utterly delicious, a must-order and certainly the dish we’ll be going back for.
If these three dishes were as good as they were, we’re going back for the Tasting Menu. Who needs a plane ticket when you have Lima London?
