ANDINA

London, UK

I ended up going to Andina, a new Peruvian restaurant in Shoreditch, kind of by accident, as I had wanted to go to Big Apple Hot Dogs for lunch, but it was closed. I should have checked, as they are never open on Mondays. The second choice was less casual, but not a bad option at all. Andina is run by Martin Morales, the same man who started Ceviche in Soho, previously reviewed here on the Food Grid. The bright and airy space on the ground floor was full, so we were seated all alone downstairs, which would probably have been cosier at nighttime with more people around. It’s a nice space, but not as hip as the Soho counterpart, but I almost find this refreshing in Shoreditch. There are clear parallels with Ceviche in the food and cocktail list, and my Pisco Sour was equally refreshing here. I was informed that they buy liquid egg-whites and don’t crack a fresh one for each drink, as they do not have use for egg-yolks. This takes away from the experience a little, but wouldn’t stop me from ordering another. My friend had the Urubamba smoothies, one of many menu items that contain quinoa. I ordered the Choclo corn cake with avocado and salsa criolla. I absolutely loved this, and it tasted healthy while still being filling. I thought my friends would have food envy because they “only” got quinoa burgers, but they seemed very happy with their choice, and said was juicy when I asked if it was as dry as it looked. We all shared the seabass ceviche, which was a zesty highlight. Everything on our table was colourful and tasty. Although it didn’t amaze me, I will very likely return to Andina.

www.andinalondon.com

SUSHI SAMBA

London, UK

With a view competing with the best in London, SushiSamba has received a lot of attention this past year with their first European location. Placed on the 38^th and 39^th floor of the Heron Tower, it boasts amazing views of the city. The cuisine is a mixture of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian. The first impression is formed in the lift ride on the way up, which is pretty cool. The interior is a bit all over the place. The main dining room with the hanging lights is quite striking, but the orange tree outside is a tacky disaster. With such a great location, it’s a shame that the interior doesn’t measure up. Nonetheless, it is definitely not a boring place. The best view I thought was from the ladies bathroom, where it is quite surreal to see the Gherkin and Tower 42 from such a perspective while washing your hands.

When it comes to the actual food and drink on offer, I started off with cocktails. They serve a range of classic cocktails with interesting twists, such as lighting a star anise  on fire before stirring it into the Tonka Bean Old Fashioned. The Chucumber with Hendrick’s gin and Pablo Piscobar with citrusy yuzu are both amazing, and highly addictive. I sampled some of the small dishes, starting with a mix of vegetable tempura. The asparagus and mushroom ones were great, but as with most tempura, needed a good soaking in soy sauce to have enough flavour. The glazed pork belly was good and really filling for their small size. I love padrón peppers and always order them at tapas places, as they can never go completely wrong. At SushiSamba they are also tasty, but the Spanish do them better. The fish tacos were nicely presented in very crispy taco shells, but lacked a bit of flavour. In general, I enjoyed all of the food, but it is a little over priced. The incredible view comes first at SushiSamba, and the food is secondary.

110 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4AY

CEVICHE

Ceviche is a hip Peruvian kitchen in Soho’s Frith Street, where I first noticed it across the road while queuing outside Koya.  I finally got around to booking a table, which needs to be done some time in advance, although they leave some space for drop-ins too. The waiters recommend sharing everything, with 2 -3 dishes per person. We got a selection of hot and cold dishes, starting with the Don Ceviche of seabass and sweet potato, Drunk Scallops with pisco and pomegranate and a few vegetarian dishes. Out of all the cold dishes, my favourite was the scallops. They were really light and fresh, although it was a tiny portion considering its price of £ 11. Slightly surprisingly, the best stuff came when we were served the hot dishes. The confit duck was amazing with its crispy skin, the Lomo Saltado beef fillet had a powerful meat taste, and the Pulpo y Chorizo was a heavenly grilled skewer of juicy octopus and greasy chorizo. Many of the dishes were served with choclo corn, a large pale corn type with a nutty flavour. The corn was so good that next time I go I would ask if they could just give me a whole plate of that. One negative for me, was that nearly every dish was quite spicy, so I was out of breath throughout the meal. An additional stress factor was the noise level and the loud music that they kept turning up throughout the evening. Overall I was impressed, but it wasn't perfect. I went to Ceviche expecting a light, cold meal, but I happily ended up very full on their delicious hot dishes.    

17 Frith Street, Soho, London, W1D 4RG 

LIMA

London, UK

 

Lima opened last summer, serving contemporary Peruvian cuisine in Fitzrovia. My first impression was that the interior was rather generic, but colourful pompoms and cushions brighten up the space. The menu is new and interesting, and once the food is on the table it becomes even more inviting. Neatly arranged on the plates are small portions of brightly coloured dishes, such as the asparagus with blue potato and braised octopus with pink olive sauce. We decided to share lots of starters, as it was too hard to choose. The spicy salmon with red amaranth is definitely worth a try, but I wouldn’t recommend the sea bream ceviche, as it simply tasted too fishy. As a main we shared the beef pachamanca, a dish that is traditionally cooked with hot stones in a hole in the ground in Peru, something the waiter pointed out was not a possibility in central London. Nevertheless, the beef was amazing. The cocktail list is comprised solely of Pisco drinks, a grape brandy from South America. I loved the Pisco sour with egg whites, and had to order another. The meal was refreshing in both its tastes and appearance. There was a lightness to the dishes that meant I was full and satisfied, without feeling heavy and tired. I am already looking forward to my next visit to Lima.

31 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1JH