It has been a while since I visited Pachamama, a Peruvian–inspired bar and restaurant in Marylebone, back in the early days when they first opened (2-ish years ago?)– it was not the most memorable experience, but I was convinced that things had improved since then.
We booked in for a relaxing Sunday brunch and were seated at a nice table towards the back where natural light shone through from above.
The cocktail menu looked rather tempting, and the three of us ordered the Miraflores from the list of ‘Mama’s Cocktails’, a sweet and fruity cocktail named after their favourite area in Lima where you sip cocktails by the beach. Now if only there was some way to transport ourselves to somewhere exotic, if only just for the weekend…
We started with a selection of snacks to share which included the sweet and tender pork belly chicharrones and brown crab and yuca churros which were really light and moreish.
I could never miss out on padron peppers that I could happily snack on all day, and I also liked the crisp peruvian fried chicken with a side of hot sauce.
We also had a selection from the Lunch Plates category, which included a couple of ceviche dishes: house sea bass and samphire ceviche, and salmon tiradito with beetroot and avocado, both of which were tasty and refreshing, as well as being vibrant and appealing to the eye.
This was followed by a couple of meatier dishes: quinoa waffles with yacon syrup and bacon, and ‘Duck on Rice’ which was one of my favourite dishes (I do have a certain affinity for rice dishes…must be an Asian thing!). I was not too fond of the crispy lamb belly which was a bit on the dry side.
I would also recommend ordering some sides, from which we ordered the aubergine with smoked yoghurt and pecans, and the plantain with feta, black olive and yacon syrup.
To finish off, we ordered coffee and couple of desserts to share: a refreshing blackberry and sorrel ‘Suspiro de Limena’ and a contrastingly rich and delicious torta de lucuma and peach.
Overall it was a pleasant and satisfying brunch, and a much better experience compared to the first.
The place was not particularly busy which I prefer especially if you’re looking for somewhere to relax on a weekend.
The Cheekster, signing out x
I dream about those churros…