Our House of Coco team are constantly on the lookout for cuisines which reflect London’s cultural diversity and wealth of creative cooking talent. Peruvian cuisine embodies these attributes perfectly and so our writers Omo and Eulanda Osagiede went to sample the weekend brunch menu at Michelin starred and multi award-winning LIMA Fitzrovia.

It’s not news to discerning London foodies that there is something special happening with Peruvian food in the nation’s capital city. London’s Peruvian gastronomic revolution, which began around 2010 has created devotees across the city, with pop-ups, restaurants and cevicherias adopting and adapting its principles from Shoreditch to Richmond.

While Londoners appreciate authentic non-native cuisines, ‘fusion food’ remains wildly popular and is perhaps the culinary approach that best reflects the city’s cultural diversity. With Peruvian flavours and ingredients as their inspiration, top chefs including the 2015 Young British Foodies Chef of The Year, Adam Rawson, proudly champion their ‘English-Peruvian’ concepts.

LIMA London establishes this interesting Peruvian niche through an innovative combination of authentic ingredients, textures, colours and flavours.

Our interest in Peruvian food had already been sparked from a previous dinner visit to Covent Garden’s LIMA Floral. However, the idea of a weekend brunch at sister establishment LIMA Fitzrovia sounded equally appealing and promised to offer a different perspective on this popular cuisine.

Stepping out from Oxford Circus station, we navigated through the typical throng of Saturday afternoon shoppers along Oxford Street, before turning into the relatively quieter back streets and Georgian houses of Fitzrovia.

Nominated by the UK Sunday Times as the ‘best place to live in London’ in 2016 and once referred to by historian Edwin Beresford Chancellor as ‘London’s Old Latin Quarter’, Fitzrovia is home to stylish bars, boutique hotels and fashionable restaurants. This seemed like the perfect location for an outpost of Latin America’s food culture.

LIMA Fitzrovia offers fine-dining in an intimate and contemporary setting. The upper floor features a skylight roof which bathes the space’s neutral colour palette in ample natural light. On arrival, we chose a table at the far corner of the room, which had a good view of the open-plan restaurant, from where we hoped to watch head chef Robert Ortiz and his team at work (he was unavailable that day).

Although a limited one hour brunch option is available, a set long-lunch option (three starters, one main course with a side and dessert) is also possible. We chose the latter.

The starters arrived in quick succession. The mixed ceviche (tuna, octopus and sea bream) was served with Cusco corn, heritage tomato and traditional tiger’s milk. The flavours of the asparagus causa (potato cakes) combined well with tree tomatoes and yellow potatoes. The winner for us was the cobia tiradito (thinly sliced uncooked fish) which was colourfully presented with yellow tiger’s milk and squid ink.

Peru’s unusual ingredients reflect that country’s multiple climate zones which include the Pacific Ocean, the Amazon and the Andes. For example, there are more than 4,000 varieties of potatoes alone grown in Peru!

LIMA Fitzrovia does a great job of capturing that eco-diversity, with each innovative dish showcasing the rich colours and flavours typically associated with Andean cuisine. The small plates packed enough wholesomeness to allow us appreciate the unique combination of flavours without taking up too much space.

As we waited for the next round of food, we worked our way through a jug of ‘bottomless’ pisco punch clasico. This cocktail, made up of Peru’s national brandy, pineapple, orange, lemon, clove and prosecco, is LIMA Fitzrovia’s adaptation on the famous pisco sour. The taste inspired discussions about how we would love to visit Peru someday to sample local versions.

For our mains, we chose two dishes: a slow-cooked lamb seco, daintily placed atop a pumpkin fritter and a hake plancha which rested on a mix of seaweed and Cusco corn purée. A side summer leaf salad with pomegranates and fresh figs completed the colourful set. We felt that all the ingredients had room to breathe with none overpowering the others.

Our curiosity led us to take a look at the à la carte lunch menu. Perhaps not wanting to offend British sensibilities, there was no cuy (Peruvian roast guinea pig) in sight. We opted for the king crab causa. The aji amarillo (chillies) added a depth of flavour and a lovely reddish colour to the potato cakes. The dish was served with green quinoa to complete the unusual flavours and presentation.

From the savoury, we journeyed towards sweetness with a desert of Peruvian doughnuts and eucalyptus syrup. Our final treat was a glass of chicha morada punch (LIMA’s version is made from a base of purple maize, pisco and aromatic spices).

Quoted in the New York Times in 2014, chef Virgilio Martinez (owner of Central, Lima – ranked fourth on the 2015 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list – and co-owner of LIMA London) reflected on London’s love for Peruvian cuisine. “I am fascinated that every time I go to London, I see how the city wants more of Peru,” he said.

Following our experience at LIMA Fitzrovia, it is easy to see why London is enamoured with Peruvian cuisine.

LIMA Fitzrovia offers a weekend brunch between 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. A set menu costs £35 per person with an additional £20 for the bottomless pisco punches or prosecco. Staff are able to advise on dietary restrictions, including gluten free options. Lima Fitzrovia, 31 Rathbone Pl, Fitzrovia, London W1T 1JH, UK, +44 20 3002 2640

Photos ©Eulanda Shead Osagiede

The saying goes that the British can never get enough of their tea. This statement is steeped in truth. The quintessential afternoon tea is a long held tradition that holds a high regard on the international culinary scene. London’s Intercontinental Park Lane upholds this tradition with a unique take. Their answer to incorporating modern values into a time old tradition can be found in their new Guiltless Afternoon Tea. Our food and travel writing duo, Eulanda and Omo, discuss their ‘guiltless’ experience at Intercontinental’s Wellington Lounge.

Walking into the lobby of the Intercontinental Park Lane is akin to recognising the everlasting elegance of British design with the perfect touch of modernity. Located in the iconic Mayfair neighbourhood, directly across the street from the famed Hyde Park, the site was once 145 Piccadilly, Queen Elizabeth’s former childhood residence.

Although 145 was destroyed by the blitz of WWII, the grand hotel constructed in its place pays homage to its royal heritage through its many amenities and cuisine offerings.

We previewed Intercontinental’s Guiltless Afternoon Tea, hosted in the Wellington Lounge. This particular tea is a specially curated experience that is advertised as a healthy alternative to the typical British afternoon tea.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQiGB73grXY/?taken-by=icparklane

While most tea experiences indulge on sweets and carbs. Intercontinental’s Guiltless Tea doesn’t have any additional sugars, besides the naturally occurring ones already found in the fruits used to make certain treats.

The featured welcome drink was a ‘non-alcoholic’ distilled spirit with double dutch tonic water, lemon peel, and star anise. It was the perfect palette cleanser, with a refreshing finish.

We were quite impressed with the knowledge of our server, who passionately recounted the history of one of Queen Victoria’s favourite teas– first flush Darjeeling.

The highlight of the first course was flavourful green tea cured salmon, kale crisps with crème fraiche on a pumpkin seed cracker. Another notable inclusion was the quinoa, soy poached chicken, and spinach salad in roasted black garlic dressing.

Even the wholemeal scones and homemade winter berry compote kept along the guiltless theme. As one of us was gluten and dairy free, we could not partake in scones. However, Intercontinental can confidently accommodate any dietary preferences with advance notice. They replaced the scones with a platter of in-season fruit.

The crème de la crème was the final course. Presented on a clear, narrow serving platter, a beetroot and apple cake with dried unsweetened apricots, stood proudly next to a flourless chocolate and peppermint cake. The decadent tea mousse layered with compote of pears, pomegranate pistachio, berries and Greek yoghurt trifle proved to be the crown on the queen’s head.

The gluten and dairy free option was no less decadent. Upon the plate layed a large strawberry dipped in shimmering gold-chocolate next to a compote with sugar dusted berries. A miniature dark chocolate bowl was filled with exotic fruit salad, next to a delightful mint-green macaron, topped with gold leaf. The flavours were bright, fruity, and interesting all together.

We finished our guiltless tea experience with a warm and tangy red berry tea. We felt almost tempted to add a cube of sugar but stopped ourselves… we didn’t want to bring any unnecessary guilt to the table.

Intercontinental Park Lane. One Hamilton Place, Park Lane, London, W1J 7QY +44(0)20 7409 313. Guiltless Tea is available until 31st May, 2017. £42 per person.

London’s Mayfair is home to some of the world’s best hotels and restaurants. Our House of Coco team of Omo and Eulanda visited Tsukiji Sushi to explore Japanese fusion cuisine and sample the spirit of Mayfair.

Mayfair, London

This is the place to see and be seen if you’re into high-end fashion and style. Bordered by Hyde Park on the west, Green Park and St James’s Park to the south and Soho to the east, it is home to many of London’s high fashion labels, five star hotels and Michelin starred restaurants.

Navigating our way from Oxford Circus station on a Friday evening, a late summer evening breeze picked up as we headed to The Westbury Mayfair hotel, one of London’s top luxury hotels. We were guests of Tsukiji Sushi, a Japanese fusion style restaurant located on its ground floor.

Tsukiji Sushi is in esteemed company; sharing the location with the Michelin-starred Alyn Williams at the Westbury. Some might say that this is tough competition to contend with. However, we found out that Tsukiji is in a class of its own, where the art of Japanese fusion food is elevated to the point where the artist deserves to be judged on his own merit.

The ‘artist’ for the evening was Malaysian Head Chef Show Choong. His Tsukiji menu offers an extensive and slightly overwhelming range of traditional Japanese dishes including sushi, sashimi, grilled dishes, sakes and fine teas. However we opted for a nine-course tasting menu that would give us a chance to experience Tsukiji’s highlights.

Tsukiji Mayfair is a world away from (and unrelated to) Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji Market, reputedly the world’s largest and busiest fish market. The space Tsukiji occupies is small, seating only 20 covers at a time. The interior décor is tasteful without being ostentatious; the polished red wood theme and low white cushioned seats give a nod to Japanese culture. The simplicity seems designed to remove distractions and focus the visitor on the food.

Photos ©Eulanda and Omo Osagiede

Tasting style and spirit

Our tasting menu experience began with a dish of lightly steamed Buna Shimeji; dainty edible mushrooms native to East Asia. The mushrooms were served with a coriander, onion and olive oil sauce and were beautifully presented on a mushroom shaped plate.

The next dish to arrive was the Tataki Chu Toro, thin sashimi slices of lightly-seared yellow fin tuna, served rare with a citrus soy sauce and paired with a jalapeño salsa which introduced a mildly spicy theme. Each bite was an invitation to our taste buds to linger for a while. This wasn’t a dish to be rushed.

Although just two dishes in, even non-Japanese food connoisseurs like us could appreciate the artistry on display. Chef Show Choong’s style achieves an innovative fusion of textures, flavours and colours complemented by his use of fresh and organic ingredients. Although he was hidden away from our view, Show Choong was demonstrating his art and the serving plates were his canvas.

Seated by the window overlooking Conduit Street, we observed a typical Friday evening in Mayfair. The fashionable working crowd slowly made way for the equally fashionable party crowd and their sleek cars. For some, the night was just beginning. For us, the focus remained on the food.

What followed was a selection of dishes that established Tsukiji as one of our favourite Japanese fusion restaurants in London. A grilled Octopus Carpaccio dish served with radish and fennel was topped with a truffle mustard-miso dressing. The flavours at first seemed overpowering but did nothing to disrupt our enjoyment of the texture of the meat.

Photos ©Eulanda and Omo Osagiede

The grilled oyster and creamy sauce was served on a bed of edible seaweed which we didn’t care for because of its rubbery texture. We made short work of the oysters, cleansed our palate with ginger and quickly moved on to sample some salmon sushi rolls topped with a plum sauce. The sweetness of the plum surprisingly did not overpower the taste of the salmon.

Our favourite dish of the evening was the Nigiri Sushi. This was a chef’s selection that included a delicious trio of Hamachi (yellowtail) with tamari sauce, Hotategai (giant sea scallops) with caviar and yuzu miso and a seared Abura Bouza (butterfish) with yuzu onion sauce. In an evening of highlights, this dish hit some rather high notes. We would go back again just to have this again.

The tasting menu was rounded up with seared black cod served in a saikyo miso sauce. Dessert was a palate cleansing green tea ice cream. As a treat, we were offered a roasted green tea which had a refreshing pop-corn aroma; definitely one to be hunted down when next we visit an Asian food shop.

As we said our goodbyes and exited through the luxurious lobby of The Westbury hotel, we remembered what a Michelin starred chef once told us. He said that good food is simple and stays true to the original flavours of its ingredients. Chef Show Choong and his Tsukiji team had certainly offered up food that had style but whose spirit remained true to its simple Japanese roots.

Useful information

Tsukiji Sushi Restaurant is located at 37 Conduit St, Mayfair W1S 2YF. For reservations and enquiries, please call 0208 382 5066 or email damir.lipa@westburymayfair.com.

Opening hours are: Monday to Saturday from 12 noon to 10.30 pm