London, Peruvian Restaurant Guide

“Unsurprisingly, not as flashy as the one in Marbella” – and with siblings nowadays from Montecarlo to Mykonos – the Mayfair original of Arjun Waney’s vibey Peruvian chain (motto ‘Find your inner Inca’) is still, say fans, “a great place for something different”, although even a reporter who judged its crudos, salads, skewers and grills provided their best meal of the year still thought the meal “came at an excessive price”. There’s also a new spinoff in the City, behind the Bank of England.

“Fun but fully priced” would be a fair overview of this funky fusion duo – outposts of a glossy US-based chain that started in NYC. The original is found at the top of one of West Europe’s fastest lifts, whisking you to the glamorous 38th floor of the Heron Tower (adjacent to Duck & Waffle, see also), complete with a stylish cocktail lounge and outside terrace. Its newer sibling opened in 2018: “it’s above the market in Covent Garden which is a great location/space (regardless of what currently occupies it!)”. In both spots, all reports agree its luxurious Latino-meets-Japanese bites are super-moreish and “consistently good”. Prices though are OTT, especially as “you can feel like you are in a machine, and they churn out huge numbers of covers so service feels rushed. And it’s big, it’s loud, feels like a bun fight!!” (“Sushi Samba was my 18-year-old daughter’s choice and was not as bad as I feared, but not particularly stand-out either”.)