London’s only Michelin-starred Peruvian restaurant, Lima, brought together the colours and flavours of Latin America and fusing it with contemporary Western sophistication. Was it any good? Time to find out...
Ideal for:
Trying the flavours and vibrancy of Peru without booking flights
Something a little bit different and quirky
Dinner with dates or mates
Ambience & Décor
This inconspicuous restaurant could be easily missed, but its sleek purple façade was befitting of the area. The clean-cut, wooden, minimalist interior was synonymous with fine dining. The Peruvian artwork added some Latin vibrancy to an otherwise unexciting décor.
Service
The serving staff were as you expect from a Michelin place; well-drilled, dapper and hospitable. The few staff all managed to service my large dining party with consummate ease. The Latin American servers I feel could have been more homely and cheerful.
Food
The Sea Bass Ceviche amuse bouche was Peruvian cooking in a nutshell. Fresh fish, tiger’s milk, spice corn and avocado. Whilst I am not a fan of the ceviche preparation, the flavours were amazing.
The Lomo Steak Huancaina (left) was amazing, if you like steak tartare style. The deconstructed Huancaina sauce saw yellow aji pepper sauce intertwine the tartare loin pieces with the coriander, cress, tomatoes, onions and peppers part of the Huancaina served as a spice crumb. The explosion of flavours in its purest form was potent and each bite was a unique event. Visually and gastronomically, an absolute triumph.
The Lamb Seco (below) was a celebration to lamb. Lamb shoulder and seared loin served in an unappealing tower with a generous portion of sweet, silky pumpkin purée and hearty fava beans. The melt-in-your-mouth shoulder was cooked better
than the slightly overcooked and tough loin. The rich, fruity red-wine Jus was tempered by sweetness of the pumpkin purée and savoury beans. Lamb, pumpkin, fava beans and wine; rich, sweet, hearty, flavourful dish with a portion that is unseen in fine dining.
On to most anticipated course; the desserts
My Suspiro Ardiente, dulche de leche cream, port and crispy meringue (left) was hit and miss. The dulche de leche was so tasty and helped cut the overpowering taste of port. The meringue shard crisps were light and not sickly but the banana cream was too rich for me, and being doused in port was not to my taste. This banana and port combo did not work.
The other dessert (right) was far better.
Lima has nailed the authenticity, but for me the flavour combinations were not always to my liking. Perhaps an indigenous Peruvian will think differently. Chef Virgilio Martinez is a genius and more creative, attractive and authentic dishes will appear and they will be hits. For the astonishing £70 per head, I did not get flawless, hence not value for money. Lima gets a B- rating. Lima has a cheaper alternative, Lima Floral, that I aim to visit.
Photos of Lima and more can be found on Instagram here.
Final grade: B-
Final comment: Authentic, sexy and creative but falls short on flavour combinations for me.
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