You might already be familiar with the South American-inspired delights of Peru Perdu, or perhaps you’ve unknowingly walked past the bright pink door on the busy corner of Princess Street and Whitworth Street without even realising the wonders held within. External signage isn’t permitted on their listed building.
The venue showcases the flavours of Peru, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay in a unique and creative way; fresh fish and seafood with sharp citrus marinades, high quality imported steaks, strong piquant cocktails, and excellent wines.
Now, for the first time since they opened in 2019, they’ve updated the menu, improving some signature dishes and introducing a few exciting new ones.
One of the must try dishes is ceviche, the Peruvian national dish of fresh raw fish cured in fresh citrus juices. There are a few types here as well as fresh Cornish oysters served with a glass of Veuve Clicquot (£22), but if you’re not looking to push the boat out that far, there’s tuna pica, scallop and avocado, and sole ceviche with chilli and citrus. There’s also a new beef ceviche (£15) with wood-fired mayo, chilli, green onion and deep-fried oyster to rock the notion that ceviche has to be fish.
Want to try them all? Order the ceviche sampler (£35) and you’ll get to sample a mix of beef, avocado and scallop ceviches with paired wines.
Also typical of this part of the world is the empanada – a pastry semi-circle packed with various fillings. Peru Perdu offers three different styles (£9 for 3); baked, fried and steamed. Baked chilli and beef empanadas are the more traditional option and come with cornbread and green chilli sauce. The vegetarian fried mushroom herb empanadas are served with garlic and packed with rich umami flavour, while the steamed prawn dumplings with garlic and chilli represent Nikkei, a unique cuisine which came about when Japanese people settled in Peru during the Colonial period.
Small plates include a reinvented version of their popular tiger milk chicken with coriander, coconut, chilli and lime (£10). New dishes include slow cooked pork with flatbread and roast plantain, and popcorn shrimp with citrus ponzu. We recommend the calamari coated with a black squid ink crumb and served with saffron aioli (£8.)
Although Peru Perdu pride themselves on their steaks (more on that later), they’ve also improved the PLANTA section of the menu, offering small and large plant-based dishes big on flavour.
The popular pastel de papas returns, reinvigorated with sweet potato and served with turtle bean salsa (£15), whilst new dishes include sweetcorn fritters with zucchini, avocado, spinach and tomato salsa (£7); a black quinoa bowl with broccoli, citrus and nuts (£12); padron peppers with superchimmi; (£7) and asparagus with chimichurri. – which we enjoyed as a side with our steak.
Larger plates include the luxurious lobster with mountain curry (£18 half/£36 whole) - geographically inspired by the Peruvian coast, jungle region and the snow-capped Andes. At the other end of the scale there's a rich slow-cooked ox heart stew served with braised pickled cabbage and sweet potato (£19). Lamb saltado (£21) has been inspired by the popular Peruvian stir-fried dish, ‘lomo saltado’, here made with grilled lamb leg steak, chilli, mint and sofrito.
In addition to the various cuts of Uruguayan Wet Aged, grass-fed organic rib-eye, sirloin, fillet and picanha steaks Peru Perdu proudly serve, they are now also offering A1 Chilean Wagyu – a breed of cattle with very high fat marbling through the meat, which results in an almost buttery texture. Sides include huge Argentinian red prawns (£6 for 2) if you fancy a little surf and turf, and the comfortingly decadent lobster champ mash (£10).
They’ve been wise enough not to make too many changes to the desserts which is good news for those who come here JUST for that dulce de leche cheesecake.
Peru Perdu has also refocused its wine menu, championing Argentinian and Uruguayan Cabernet Franc, a red grape which many Argentine growers are planting to replace Malbec. They range from dry French style Uruguayan to bold Mendoza style - perfectly paired with steak. They also stock Garrus Rose - a world class sparkling rosé, with a creamy finish from Chateau d’Esclans Estate which rivals any prestige Champagne and is the perfect accompaniment to ceviche.
Peru Perdu is a good looking venue. South America is known for its vibrant woven fabrics and you’ll find them dotted about tastefully with other home comforts such as travel guides, artwork and ornaments. Walls are whitewashed brick or painted in vibrant and pastel shades of pink from the Eaton House Studios paint collection.
Service is chilled, attentive and generous. What else do you need to know? Peru Perdu has their own private dining room for hire, there’s a Veuve Clicquot drag brunch on the last Saturday of every month, they have a dedicated Bloody Mary station and you can even bring your four legged friend in on a Sunday for their own roast dinner.
Frankly, we’re struggling for reasons NOT to recommend Peru Perdu!
To book a table, email [email protected] or call 0161 549 0005
Follow @peruperdu_mcr on social.
Peru Perdu, 74 Princess St, Manchester, M1 6JD.
Opening times:
Monday - Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday - Friday: 4pm - Close
Saturday - Sunday: 12pm onwards
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