Since it opened its doors in 2012, LIMA Fitzrovia has been at the forefront of London’s initiation into Peruvian cuisine, becoming the first restaurant of its kind to earn a Michelin star the following year. Now, four years on, and after a comprehensive refurbishment, the thriving restaurant will launch a new menu on 6th October, following a summer of exploration and research in Peru, reaffirming both its continuing links with the country and its status as the hub of innovative Peruvian cuisine in the British capital.
Returning to his native Peru with a team from LIMA Fitzrovia and sister restaurant, LIMA Floral, Chef and Head of Culinary Development, Robert Ortiz, along with members of the LIMA team, has spent this summer reconnecting with his motherland, from the depths of the Amazon, where he grew up, to the Peruvian coastline. Joined by Virgilio Martinez, Chef Proprietor of both LIMA and Central (currently number 4 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants), the group spent weeks together tracing the country’s landscape to discover new ingredients, techniques and culinary practices to bring back to the menu at LIMA and create dishes never before seen at the restaurant or in the wider Peruvian restaurant scene in London.
Following discoveries made in the Andes, Robert will be bringing back to London a variety of roots native to the region, ranging from white and blue sweet potatoes and mashua tubers, a type of potato found in colours from bright yellow to black, to racacha, a starchy taproot with flavours profiles similar to carrot and celery. Robert will use these ingredients to accompany duck and beef and to enhance a range of vegetarian dishes, baking them in aromatic herbs sourced from the same lands and chaco, an edible soil which helps to preserve the flavour of the vegetables. From the team’s exploration of the coastline, multiple varieties of seaweed native to Peruvian shores will now be added to fish dishes including turbot and zander to bring an added dimension of flavour. Also set to make an appearance on the menu will be coffee sourced from Lonya Grande near the Maranion River, which boasts a distinctive aroma of chocolate, banana and hints of beetroot. Discovered at a tasting with an artisan coffee cooperative, it will be used to marinate meat, creating dishes such as lamb seasoned with lavender, coffee and achiote seeds. Peruvian beer, Chicha, with flavour profiles of chestnuts, apples, chocolate and quinoa, will also be used to marinate meat and vegetables.
Other changes to the menu will include a new version of Peru’s national dish of ceviche, a pillar of the LIMA menu since the beginning, which will use the acidity of tumbo fruit to cook the fish, a practice widespread in Peru before the Spaniards brought limes in the sixteenth century. The restaurant’s selection of desserts has also been influenced by the team’s travels. With complete faith in the strength of the native ingredients used to create them, sweet plates including Amazonian ponzu parfait with strawberries and chirimoya, chocolate and banana tart with vanilla and cinnamon have all been created with no added or refined sugars, resulting in a uniquely healthy range of desserts that do not compromise on flavour.
To accompany the restaurant’s new menu, LIMA has also undergone interior transformations to bring added space, light and colour to the Rathbone Place site. The restaurant exterior now boasts a vibrant orange awning that is immediately eye-catching to passersby and reflective of the spirit of the cuisine to be found within. Having extended the front of the restaurant, LIMA now offers a more spacious and welcoming entrance as well as more room to seat diners, whilst changes to the restaurant’s bar, ‘Sotano’, include a redesigned space with the addition of colourful murals by artist Bluey Byrne that complement perfectly the restaurant’s own vibrancy.
Commenting on the new menu, Robert explains, “During my recent trip to Peru I reconnected with my roots, people and traditions. I also spent some quality time with Virgilio at Central, which inspired my cooking and gave me lots of fresh ideas. It was a fantastic trip, which not only encouraged innovation in my cuisine but also enabled me to bring some truly authentic and new ingredients to London’s Peruvian food scene. I’m very excited to share our new a la carte in October with our supportive customers and welcome new diners.”
Set to launch on 6th October, LIMA’s new menu will reconfirm the restaurant’s strong ties to Peru, its knowledge and understanding of its culinary practices and its links to Central, the world’s leading Peruvian restaurant. Having forged strong relationships with key producers, LIMA is set to continue to bring previously unknown ingredients to the British capital and create a menu that both excites the palate and educates the city on the one of the world’s most innovative cuisines.