IT’S like searching for the Lost Civilisation of the Incas. Our only clue to the location of Peru Perdu, due to open in October, is a Facebook message saying it’s “five minutes from Piccadilly, a stone’s throw from The Village and a couple of minutes from Oxford Road'. We suspect it may be located inside a certain new aparthotel on Whitworth Street.
The mystery only quicken’s ToM’s appetite for one of our favourite cuisines. The last time we ate Peruvian in the city was when Martin Morales, who runs Ceviche in London’s Old Street and Soho, brought his touring pop-up to Teacup in the Northern Quarter six years ago.
Ceviche is Peru’s national dish (along with guinea pig apparently) – fresh raw fish cured in citrus juices, such as lemon or lime, and spiced with ají, chili peppers or other seasonings including chopped onions, salt, and coriander.
Peru Perdu promises to major on various ceviches and on the cocktail front, pisco sours, of course in its 80 cover restaurant/bar space. There’ll be an emphasis on small plates and Uruguyan wet-aged steaks, Peruvian-influenced mains curated by top chef David Gale. They promise an exclusively South American wine list with five Malbecs by the glass plus a lesser known red, Uruguayan speciality Tannat.