Lima Floral Brunch
I love a good prosecco brunch, but they can end up being a bit samey. Time to try something new - drum roll - a PERUVIAN brunch! With prosecco (of course). I headed to Lima Floral in Covent Garden to try their wares. You have a choice of two weekend brunch set menus - the breakfast or the lunch. We got there at 1pm and were disappointed to find out their breakfast items had sold out even though both menus run until 3.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays. I'd been looking forward to pancakes and frittata, and looking at the lunch menu my heart sank to see it was not vegetarian friendly.
Lima Floral itself is such a cute little restaurant over two floors (plus a private dining room that can be hired). There's a pisco bar, a Peruvian decor theme that's subtle, and it's a baby-friendly place (no pisco sours for them though). There's a really laid back weekend vibe, and it's a perfect location for weekend moseying about in the West End.
The set lunch menu has three courses - the starter being four sharing plates, which my friend got to have to herself as they were ALL non-vegetarian. She loved the rare beef, tuna and sea bream with pork dumplings, each with a spicy sauce. When I asked if there were any vegetarian options the waitress looked at me like I was mad and pointed at the fish. After the initial confusion she was very nice and helpful, and got the chef to rustle me up something. I was served this pretty quinoa with edible flowers, asparagus tips and giant corn.
For the main course you have a choice of three meals, my friend went for more beef, whilst I had the only veggie option - mushrooms in huancaina sauce. Reader, I'm afraid to say I googled that sauce. Given the lack of Peruvian sympathy for vegetarianism so far, I wanted to make sure that sauce wasn't made from 'vegetarian' fish. I was relieved to find out it's spicy cheese! And oh my gosh, it was SO good! So were the Peruvian potatoes it came with - covered in a sauce that's smooth and smoky on first bite, and then delivers a mighty spice kick that needs to be washed down with prosecco. We also got roasted vegetables and the BEST kale chips I'd ever had! Plus more quinoa than I could ever know what to do with.
The staff were so sweet that they brought me over another dish the chef had made just for me. A cold green mashed potato with fresh lime, tomatoes, and the nicest guacamole known to man. My friend and I shared this and it was actually a tasty palate cleanser.
The dessert is a bit cheeky because it's one to share between two, and consists of one scoop of coffee ice-cream, and two small shortbread biscuits. It's more of an end-of-meal sweet treat rather than the dessert to end all desserts, but it was all very tasty.
I'd recommend Lima Floral if you're in town and looking for something a bit different to the usual brunch fare. The breakfast menu is slightly more vegetarian friendly, but the mushroom dish on the lunch menu is fantastic. The staff are also super friendly, and it's all very relaxed there. The three course brunch (breakfast or lunch) set menu at weekends is £30 and includes a glass of prosecco.
Do you think Peruvian food is something you'd try? Let me know in the comments. This meal was offered to me free of charge by Lima Floral in exchange for a review.