A taste of Peru: LIMA Floral to open in Covent Garden

Last week we told you about the imminent arrival of Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack in Covent Garden.

Clearly W2 is the place to be in 2014: Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez and his partners, Gabriel and Jose Luis Gonzalez, have today announced plans to open a second London restaurant on Garrick Street and Floral Steet this July.

LIMA Floral will offer traditional and contemporary Peruvian cuisine. Highlights will include scallops with chia ceviche, Amazonian fish with warm causa and kholrabi and quinoa tiradito. Some key native vegetables and fruits from Peru will be showcased in unusual forms and shapes to bring new tastes and experiences to customers.

As well as the main restaurant, there will also be a basement ‘piqueos bar’. This, says Martinez, is “essentially a bar serving tapas dishes which is very traditional in Peru).” Small piqueo dishes will include grouper with rocoto tiger’s milk ceviche and tuna and seared aubergine tiradito. These dishes will sit alongside an extensive cocktail list, featuring variations on the classic Pisco Sour.

“We are so excited to have found a beautiful site in Covent Garden. After two years of operating LIMA, we thought it was time to develop a casual and fun offering with serious food credentials in this foodie destination,” says Gabriel Gonzalez.

The restaurant and bar interior design is by B3 designers, whose previous restaurant projects include Gymkhana, Bubbledogs and ROKA. The vision of the project will have strong native influences throughout; large arched windows create a bright and airy dining room on the ground floor, while the basement bar will be a comfortable drinking den, with a fun and high quality bar menu.

Located on the corner of Garrick Street and Floral Street, the new restaurant will be within a historic building which was originally built as a monastery, and more recently home to The Forge restaurant.  The new 100 cover site at 14 Garrick Street, also boasts a private dining room.

The original LIMA launched in August 2012 on Rathbone Place and became the first Peruvian restaurant in Europe to be awarded a Michelin star in September 2013.

Meanwhile Martinez’s flagship restaurant, Central Restaurante, in Lima featured on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants last year.