Taking orders – Lima, Fitzrovia | Sainsbury's Magazine

Editor-in-chief Helena Lang was wowed by the visually stunning food in this Peruvian dining room hidden behind Oxford Street

What is it?

First things first – Peruvian food is cool. From ceviche to quinoa, it’s the stuff the clean-eating gurus are made of, but it’s not just a carb-free zone. Here at Lima, the menu, created by Head Chef Robert Ortiz and Virgilio Martinez, served in a stylish, conservatory-style room, has been awarded a Michelin star – the first and only Peruvian restaurant in London to achieve this.

Where is it?

In Rathbone Place in trendy Fitzrovia – close enough to chic Charlotte Street, but a brisk walk from tacky Tottenham Court Road.

Who would love it?

Adventurous eaters – braised corazon (beef heart, £24) is a signature dish – and Instagrammers would be hard-pushed to find more photogenic food in the capital.

What’s on the menu?

Nothing you will have eaten before. We kicked off with a plate of cobia fish tiradito (£14), which was like looking through a child’s kaleidoscope. A generous portion of this white fish was served raw and decorated with Jerusalem artichoke, chia seeds and black tiger’s milk – a type of citrus marinade. Another equally spectacular starter, black bream ceviche (£12), came with avocado and crispy strips of sweet potato. Meaty main courses were just as pretty; tender slices of lamb cutlets (£30) were garnished with pomegranate seeds and micro herbs and marinated in lavender and coffee. Large, rare slices of beef pachanaca (£30) came on a piped mound of yellow potato purée.

The dish we would order again?

The avocado mousse (£9) was a triumph! Pea green mousse in a chocolate ‘avocado shell’ filled with chocolate mousse to look like the stone. Genius! And delicious.