If you’ve not heard of Pachamama before, then you should have. I came this restaurant towards the end of last year shortly after it opened and still can’t get one of its dishes out of my head – the crispy lamb belly. So when I’d heard about their new brunch offering and the promise of BOTTOMLESS pisco punch cocktails to celebrate the launch – there was simply no way I was going to miss out on such an offering. Pachamama is (as their website says) “inspired by the culinary traditions of Peru and is dedicated to making the most of the extraordinary ingredients, found in the UK.” A great concept in my opinion and one which is rather unique in London right now.
On thing I really love about the food here, is the amazing use of colours. Every dish looked picture perfect. From the addition of edible pansies, bright red balls of fiery pepper – to the toasted giant pieces of corn. One dish that oozed Peruvian charm here was the chia seed and tapioca bircher with rhubarb and almond – but it was also one of the most unusual. Expecting not to enjoy this dish, I’d actually swayed the other way and fell in love with it. Those strong hits of pepper which explode in the mouth and little pockets of citrus which occasionally make an appearance were addictive. The smoked brisket on the other hand was just as good, with its sweet plantain hash and a take on the British classic – aji HP. The quinoa waffles with smoked bacon and yacon syrup was a lovely dish, but that waffle needed to be thicker, as the waffle grill is providing lots of crispness and no room for enough light and fluffy middle.
One part of our brunch meal here however, failed to really excite us. I was by no means bad, but compared to the rest of the food and knowing what the kitchen is capable of – these little sliders just felt a little out of sync. The favourite of the two was the juicy aged beef with smoked cheddar and salsa criolla. The deep-fried aubergine with smoked yoghurt and cilantro was for us a little dry and overcooked. That saying I think the main problem was simply the bun. Something a little lighter and some glazing would have done the trick.
One of Pachamama’s strong areas of this brunch menu, was dessert. A tantalising mazamorra morada cheesecake. Made with a sort of thick blackened purple corn/fruit the cheesecake gets a lovely depth of flavour and colour – with that soft cheese topping being both light, full of flavour and more importantly – delicious. The suspiro de limena with strawberry & sorrel was another oddity here at Pachamama and this almost grassy flavoured dessert became strangely addictive and a totally new experience in terms of flavour combinations. I’d highly recommend you give it a go.
Sadly you won’t get the unlimited pisco punch I was dangerously fed, but I can at least guarantee you’ll have a brunch like no other in London. When it comes to originality, colour and creating a new experience, Pachamama have it spot on. With a few tweaks and a little more precision in the kitchen – I’ve no doubt this every-day brunch offering will do very well indeed.
7/10
I was invited to review
