Restaurant Review – Lima Floral, Covent Garden – London

Visiting London can be so overwhelming, especially when you are hungry and have no idea what you fancy or where you should eat. It was early evening when I arrived in the Capital so I grabbed a friend and we headed for happy hour drinks at a bar recommended by a friend on Twitter.

The Lost Alpaca is a hidden bar underneath the Peruvian restaurant Lima Floral, which is the sister site of award winning restaurant Lima. It is a simple bar with brightly painted alpaca paintings on the walls and outdoor style basic furniture. Compared to the fine dining style restaurants in the area, it was refreshing to find somewhere that seemed welcoming when walking through the door and happy hour Pisco Sours definitely helped. After a few cocktails we decided the idea of Peruvian food was too good an opportunity to pass up, so we ventured upstairs to Floral for some food.

The decor in Floral is much the same as the bar downstairs, just without the alpacas. Ivy winds around the ceiling and the simple wooden furniture fills the space making it feel welcoming and homely, in only the South American style of dining can. You can see through into the open kitchen and the camaraderie between the kitchen staff was lovely to watch.

The menu fits too with small plates designed to share, ranging from ceviche and seafood, to heartier meat dishes. The contemporary twist on traditional Peruvian cooking is so unique, we ordered far too much.

As someone who can never see bread on a menu and not order it, we picked the Home-made Peruvian Bread and Plantain Crisps to pick at whilst we waited for our dishes. The bread is just delicious, warm and slightly oily with a rich Maca dip, it is a good job we shared it else I would have finished off the whole bowl. The plantain crisps were equally as good, wafer thin so they had the ultimate amount of crunch and a light seasoning so as not to take away from the unique flavour. Served on a bed of avocado and coriander cream, they were perfectly dipped in the guacamole style cream to whet our appetites before the food arrived.

The Scallop Ceviche is a real explosion of flavours with the softest scallop pieces, a rich and fruity sauce and crispy, slightly salty fried baby squid. The addition of coconut gel really adds a smoothness to the dish that rounds it off perfectly.

Surprisingly for such a carnivore, the Warm Creamy potatoes were my favourite dish of the night. Slices of mixed potatoes drenched in a goat’s cheese sauce with botija olives and aji amarillo. The sauce was incredible with a lighter taste than goats cheese usually has. The aji amarillo adds a touch of heat without overpowering the dish. We mopped up the remaining sauce with that gorgeous bread, it is pretty much a meal in itself.

We ordered 2 main style dishes with the Slow Braised Pork Belly and the Chicken A La Brasa. The pork had that perfect crunch to the outside of the fat with soft and moist meat underneath. Served with the softest creamy parsnip mash, the sweet element it needed came from physalis and a punchy sweet chilli glaze. The chicken had been slow roasted so the meat was soft and tender, with a crispy skin that even I struggled to leave. Skin is not my favourite element of a dish but this was seasoned beautifully. I am adamant this had some sort of mushroom in it which gave the colour and earthiness to the sauce but the wait staff were adamant it was made with cauliflower and pickles. Being an ardent mushroom hater, it did put me off slightly but the charred corn was a lovely addition and added a bitterness to the rich dish, balancing things out.

The sides at Floral are just as impressive as the main dishes, we chose the Chinese Style Rice and the Cuzco Corn Cake. The rice has a slight bite and is studded with crunchy vegetables before being topped with fried banana. It isn’t something I have ever seen in a Chinese restaurant but boy, it really works. It is a really mild dish so the perfect accompaniment for any of the main style dishes.

Finally, the cuzco corn cake, which is almost like a dessert. The corn cake has a slight sweetness but also a touch of sour to balance it out. Topped with sour cream and peanuts, the cake like consistency meant it complimented the lighter dishes and was the perfect last mouthful to end a great meal.

The staff are great and happy to help with recommendations as well as ensuring the table is cleared of any empty plates, so you can fit more on to indulge in more Peruvian delights.

With a bottle of wine our bill came to just over £100, which was incredibly reasonable for the amount of food we ordered and the fact we were dining in London. I can’t wait to go back, especially for those amazing pisco sours. They know how to make a banging cocktail, that’s for sure.