There’s been a lot of hype around Peruvian restaurants opening in London recently. At the epicentre of it all is Lima restaurant. We decided to give it a try and quite frankly, we were blown away!

 

 

 

Quite honestly we didn’t know what to expect from Lima. We knew that the head chef, Virgilio Martinez, hailed from good stock. Previously he worked at a top 50 San Pellegrino restaurant in Peru, called Astrid y Gaston, but we’d never been. However, based on the dishes we sampled at  Lima, I can’t conclude other than: extremely good chef!

 

 

 

When we were at Lima we tried the following dishes:

• Seabream Ceviche (8/10)
• Sea bass causas (9/10)
• Teradito Salmon (8.5/10)
• Lamb shoulder (9.5/10)
• Suckling Pig (9.5/10)
• Cacao Porcellana dessert (9.5/10)
• Dulce di leche (9/10)

 

 

 

All the dishes we tried at  Lima were a hit. However, I do have one small quibble: you can tell the dishes have been toned down for Western taste buds and I’d prefer it if we  could taste the dishes as Peruvians would have liked them to be, with full flavour and all. For instance, the acidity of the ceviche was quite mild, while in Peru the ceviche tends to be much higher in acidity. It might take Westerners a little while to get used to it, but in the end that’s  when the dish really shines.

 

 

 

However, overall the cooking at  Lima is stunningly good. In particular the mains were cooked to perfection and the depth of flavour of both the suckling pig and lamb were incredible. The talent of the chef really shone through.

 

 

 

Lima only recently opened it’s doors, but I predict very very good things for them and I wouldn’t be surprised if they will be awarded with a Bib Gourmand. If they improve on the consistency of service they could even be awarded with a Michelin star, but I’m not sure if that fits in with the ‘cool&trendy’ image that the restaurant seems to strive for.

 

 

 

 

Lima has a good selection of Pisco-based cocktails as well as a good selection of wines by the glass and bottle. We paid £110 (including service, 2 cocktails and coffee), which somewhat on the expensive side, but in line with the other dining establishments on Charlotte Street.

 

Overall rating for Lima: 9/10