A Stunning Peruvian Lunch at Lima Floral, Covent Garden
A Stunning Peruvian Lunch at Lima Floral, Covent Garden
Lima Floral restaurant review
Peruvian food, it’s beautiful isn’t it? When I think of the best places to indulge in incredible Peruvian food in London I always think of Lima and Lima Floral.
When it first opened, the Michelin-starred Lima was (and continues to be) one of the front runners in beautiful Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) food – and Lima Floral, it’s sister restaurant, is just as lovely.
What’s so good about Lima Floral?
Well, at Lima Floral, the food is all about robust flavour and unique texture.
It’s about the soft slip of creamed corn and the earthiness of pureed root vegetables; haunches of meat slathered with rich, peppery gravy; or maybe some tempura-fried seafood. And everything is always finished with a fiercesome lick of lime or lemon…
This is what makes me fall in love with the restaurant again and again.
And of course, it’s restaurants like this that do so well in showcasing a cuisine as rich and complex as that from Peru. On a warm day especially the freshness that you get from Peruvian food is so lovely. Which probably explains why Lima Floral has been so hard to get into this summer.
Read more:
The Perfect (Anti) Valentines Day Lunch at Gaucho, Richmond
A Peruvian Lunch at Lima Floral
But in I am now, finally, and I can’t wait to get started on the menu.
First we sink out teeth into Peruvian fried chicken, which is exactly how you’d want it. The strips of crunchy chicken yield beautifully in the centre, and are served with a gorgeous lime and lemongrass dip. Yum.
Alongside this we pick at tendrils of duck, painted maroon and made wet with ‘Japanese salsa’, and served under a flurry of purple crisps. Mmm.
Then we devour a hunk of beef tenderloin, sectioned into dazzlingly soy-sauced parts and resting on a puree of creamed corn and turnip. This has to be one of the best things to eat at Lima Floral.
Read more:
Sirloin, Lobster and desserts bigger than your face at STK, Covent Garden
Next up is some braised octopus, whose translucent tendrils curve temptingly around squid-ink-black bits of cassava and purple olive mayonnaise.
A firm favourite is also the Nikkei rice – something that at first seems quite humble but turns out to be much more. In fact, it’s filled with morsels of squid and tossed in a moreish, richly-umami seaweed aioli. The best bits of it are underneath however – you know the ones I mean – those little nubs of rice that stick to the pan and caramelize a little. Mmm crispy.
The savoury portion of our meal rounds off with a mound of fried squid and king prawns, lined up against more of that delicious corn puree. Lashings of aji panca aioli is drizzled across the whole dish, which serves to both lubricate and lift.
Dessert and The Lost Alpaca bar
Finally we move on to dessert. By now we’re both incredibly full, but the Alfajores (Peruvian biscuits) sound too good not to try. They are rich, buttery, soft-as-wet-sand and paired deliciously with some dulce de leche. Ah, heaven!
Read more:
A Little Luxury in London with an Afternoon Tea at Aqua Shard
We might have also taken the rice pudding for a spin. Dreamy…
After our gorgeous lunch, we take a peek at the new bar at Lima Floral, an underground establishment called The Lost Alpaca. It’s a friendly sort of joint with a menu that would put on smile on most faces. I’d recommend checking it out!
All in all our meal at Lima Floral has been absolutely gorgeous, and we’d recommend trying it out :)
Is the food at Lima Floral Halal?
Lima Floral don’t have halal chicken or meat. They have halal fish and vegetarian options if you’d like to visit.
Have you eaten here? Let us know your thoughts on our Instagram.
The Details
Lima Floral, Covent Garden
Address – 14 Garrick St, London WC2E 9BJ
Website – Lima Floral
Phone – 020 7240 5778
Nearest Tube – Covent Garden
Disclaimer – the halal food status note for Lima Floral is true at the time of writing. Please phone or email the restaurant before you make a booking to double check the halal food status and anything around cross contamination.
We dined as guests of the restaurant.
