Danica:
I can't say it is a surprise to find that Peruvian restaurants in London are so good. In Miami, where I have to spend a lot of time I visit Peruvian restaurants a lot. In London, my second home , I do my own peruvian cooking....until now. As in Miami, in London, the variety and quality of the restaurants is amazing, you find one for every taste and pocket. The creativity in adapting the dishes and flavours to the local produce when the real ingredient is not available is so clever and imaginative.
During the last two weeks Latin proposed that together with two other connoisseurs of peruvian cuisine we taste three out of the many restaurants that exist in London. Andina, in Shoreditch, is probably the trendiest Peruvian restaurant I've been to; lots of young people, lots of activity, fast paced service, and loud music (we were wondering if this is to get you out quicker). The important thing, however, is that the waiters know and enthusiaticaly explain in detail what it is all about: ingredients, source, how it is cooked and with which dish you should start the parade of almost tapa sized dishes (usually 3 or 4 will do, including desert). The Ají de Gallina impressed me: tasty and beautifully presented.
There was a good selection of latin american wines. Simple decoration with a peruvian touch, comfortable tables, proper napkins, and a bar where you can sit and look at all the energy dedicated by the team.
Maria Teresa:
A ground floor (rather than basement) table gives you view of the bustling neighbourhood street combined with the fun atmosphere inside the restaurant. The decor is simple and is great to see the chefs at work as they have an open plan arrangement for the kitchen.
The service was very good and we had a Spanish waitress who patiently explained how their menu worked and knowledgeably described a few dishes and gave us good recommendations. Our party ordered a number of dishes which we shared as they are served in small portions similar to the Spanish tapas (not usually a Peruvian tradition).
The Pisco Sour (Peru's famous cocktail of Pisco, lime, egg white and sugar) was fantastic and the Ceviche Andina was very well made. The same cannot be said for the Coctel Ceviche, which was served in a small glass providing an insufficient portion for the price and was not as tasty, with no much fish or avocado in it. We also ordered 2 types of skewers: The lamb one was bland although the quality of the meat was good and it was properly cooked and needed more spices. The beef skewer marinated in pisco was outstanding, both in the quality of the meat and the flavour. The Sea Trout Tartar Causa (our famous trifle of potato and seafood) was delicious, good size portion and very well presented. The texture of the quinoa and coriander Tamalito is a little too soft and could benefit with the addition of spices to make it more similar to the taste of the original tamales made with corn. The fried cassava and the chanchita accompanied the pisco sour very well as we started our meal and the sauce that comes with the cassava was delicious!
We shared 3 desserts, the picarones were out of this world! I know how difficult it is to prepare them on the spot and they tasted fresh and wonderful, this alone would be a good reason to go back to Andina. The Lengua de Suegra was superbly made, delicious but it could be too sweet for some people.
The Quinoa Chocolate Brownie, was well made or presented and a very good way to use quinoa but wasn’t my favourite choice.
Judy:
This restaurant has a laid back, informal atmosphere and I would recommend it to anyone, whatever their age, who is interested in trying new food. Our fabulous Spanish waitress was extremely attentive and patiently answered any questions we had about the diverse selection of Peruvian dishes on the menu. She suggested that we each order four dishes but I found that two were enough for me and left room for dessert - both my choices, Ceviche Andina and Solterito Salad, were delicious as was the quinoa chocolate brownie dessert.
All in all this restaurant did not disappoint and my only quibble would be that if you do order four dishes, drinks and dessert, it could get quite pricey.
