Andina – review

Smoothies come in all colours at Andina

There’s more evidence, were it needed, of Hackney’s place at the heart of the capital’s food and drink scene, as the founder of Soho’s packed-out Peruvian kitchen Ceviche picks Shoreditch for his newest restaurant.

For the initiated, ceviche is raw fish or seafood cooked in the citric acid of lime or lemon juice common in the coastal regions of Latin America.

Along with Fitzrovia’s Lima, the popularity of Ceviche has played a big role in raising the profile of Peruvian cooking in London over the past few years, propelling the cuisine firmly into the mainstream.

And so to Andina, the latest venture from Martin Morales, the mastermind behind Ceviche’s success.

If Ceviche is the bustling high-end version, this is its chilled out country cousin, opening its doors at the beginning of December with a laid-back airy restaurant and a menu of Peruvian soul food you could lie down in.

It’s not just a copycat either, as Morales says he and head chef Tomasz Baranski spent a year devising a menu based on cooking from the foothills of the Peruvian mountains paired with seasonal local produce.

Andean cuisine is naturally pretty good for you, stuffed with super foods and high-nutrient ingredients. Half the dishes at Andina are vegetarian, but you scarcely notice, such is the richness of flavour and texture on offer.

Brunch is served until 11am and is worth getting out of bed for. We started with a life-affirming glass of carrot, ginger, pear, melon, maca and lime juice and there are plenty of other juices packed with cucumbers, grapefruit and goldenberry to wake up a sleepy palate.

We tried the sea bass ceviche and it was gorgeous – a bright plate of red onions, avocados, sweet potato and squares of fish in Andina’s yellow chilli tiger milk. Then there was the tomalito, soft steamed quinoa and coriander dumplings with a creamy layer of fresco cheese inside for substance and some salsa creolla to give it a kick.

The chincharrones – fat little cubes of confit pork are one of the best things I’ve eaten all year. The meat was juicy without being greasy, richly flavoured without being heavy and the sweet chilli jam with it added a lovely sweetness to it.

There was also a superb scallop and wild mushroom omelette on rye that was feather-light and over too soon, as well as some golden fried squares of cassava that went beautifully with a well-judged herby peanut dip.

Andina takes its inspiration from the picanterias, small community restaurants typical to mountain towns like Arequipa where Morales grew up. Like these all-day Andean eating spots, the menu runs from breakfast to dinner, which also looks divine.

There’s a reading room at the back for eating, working or private hire, which Morales – who also has his own record label – has decked out with all his collection of Peruvian cumbia, funk and psych vinyls from the 1960s and 1970s. Downstairs there’s more seating and a ceviche bar where you can watch the dish being prepared, as well as a Pisco bar for cocktails.

You may not think you have room for dessert, but make room if you can. We had golden pumpkin doughnuts with purple corn syrup that tasted like Christmas and there was plenty more where that came from.

Andina is at 1 Redchurch Street, E2 7DJ
020 7920 6499