Three months after opening, Lima Dubai seems to have found its groove. Cosy and intimate but abuzz with the sort of electricity felt in on-trend Manhattan hotspots, Peruvian superstar Virgilio Martinez’s newest baby delivers on every parameter.
Unusual ingredients? Check. Beautiful presentation? Check. Great service? Decent prices? Flavours that play off each other and leave you wanting more? Check, check and check.
Head Chef Diegeo Fernando Sanchez, Martinez's right-hand man here in Dubai, steps up to Ramadan with a multi-course sharing-style menu served directly to the table at the Peruvian hotspot, while taking special care with allergies. Nearly every dish celebrates the Latin American nation's unbelievably diverse produce, from pumpkin to corn and potatoes. That such humble ingredients can produce such awesome flavours is testament to both provenance and technique.
So what's the actual menu?
The dehydrated khidri dates are unlike any served in restaurants — soft and squishy, each one like a dollop of homemade jam. A pumpkin velouté topped with pumpkin crisps is light, layered and comforting, while a quinoa salad contrasts the nutty grain with creamy avocado and fresh pops of pumpkin.
A crumbed hot chicken ceviche finds favour with my mum, a lifelong chicken nazi, while a seafood risotto with Canadian prawns and panka chillies bursts with the freshness of the sea. A chicken and duck chaufa, or fried rice, is a nod to the nation's Chinese immigrant history, and a seco of slow-cooked lamb shoulder paired with amaranth is a witty take on ouzi.
Even the sides excite: I love the buttery corn crème brulée cake — it's soft as porridge but holds its shape. It's good enough to be a healthy dessert. Less superlative but excellent nonetheless is a mix of Andean potatoes.
As for the pudding course on the dessert menu, it’s worth an entire article. Its custard apple-flavoured globe is what you want to dig into first. Part sorbet and part foam, it’s an eruption of texture and flavour. Pretty to look at and a light note to end the meal with is Sanchez's San Martin chocolate dessert, a deconstructed cake and ice-cream plate that gluten-loving chocoholics will inhale.
Verdict: If you pay for just one iftar this Ramadan, make it Lima Dubai. Having eaten there first as a paying punter before returning for a complimentary review meal, I’ve put my money where my mouth is.
Details: Lima Dubai, iftar Dh195 per head. Call 800 5462 or hit up Limadubai.com.
