Amen mentions we are going to Pachamama for dinner last week, no ifs or buts. This was the first time I’ve heard of the restaurant and I tend to look at the menu prior but he was adamant that there were plenty of dishes for me to enjoy. I trusted him and we headed over to the restaurant.
The Restaurant
Pachamama is a Peruvian restaurant, and not entirely fine dining but quite relaxed. It’s located-on Thayer Street in Marylebone, with Bond Street being the closet station. It has a small entrance that is very easy to miss. We would’ve walked past the door had we not been looking for it. But the small entrance has no relation with the size of the restaurant, as you walk down to the basement and restaurant expands. The restaurant is beautiful. It’s a bit vintage and rough, yet classy with an authentic atmosphere.
The food
Menu
The menu is short but brilliant. It’s split into Snacks, Sea, Land, Soil and Sweets. All the dishes are designed to be shared though – which can be quite tricky for us, as I don’t eat everything. Tricky is not a problem though, just means we can order more food.
What we ordered
We ordered the Pork belly chicharrones, Padrón peppers, Smoked cheddar tequeños, Beef short rib croquette and Grilled chicken anticuchos from Snacks.
Peruvian fried chicken with Atacama hot sauce, Crispy lamb belly with jalapeno and miso and Spicy raw beef with seaweed crisps from Land. Also, the Plantain with yacón syrup, feta and black olive from Land.
Phwoar, I know, that sounds a lot. But the dishes are small – a tapas style.
Snacks
I had no clue what to expect from the smoked cheddar tequeños, but when it came it looked like spring rolls and it tasted divine. The pastry was puffy, golden and pure genius. The smoked cheddar, the sweetness on the pastry, and a slight spice in the filling was a perfect combination. We both loved it. I contemplated ordering another portion.
The beef short rib croquette was perfect, the beef filling was tasty and wasn’t overly fried. I’m not a huge fan of beef, but I was definitely a fan of the croquettes. The grilled chicken anticuchos were delicious. Two skewers of tender chicken, which were tender and perfectly spiced with heat.
Amen also had the Pork belly chicharrones, and he said they were the best chicharrones he’s had. They were not too crispy or fatty and didn’t seem like it was fried.
Land
The Peruvian fried chicken was my least favourite. I didn’t even finish it, Amen did. We both agreed that there wasn’t much to it. It was pretty bland, lacking flavour or any distinction to Peruvian cuisine.
Amen enjoyed the Lamb belly. He thought it was nice and lean, which he particularly loved as he expected it be fattier as most belly meat dishes are. Said it was unusual and the texture was like pork but tasted very much like lamb. He also had the spicy raw beef, but thought it was more sharp than spicy and was his least favourite dish. However, he loved the veggies that it came with the dish, which were the seaweed crisps. And that’s unsual for him.
Soil
We also had the Plantain which had the yacón syrup, feta and black olive. We love plantain and we always cook it at home, almost every Monday lol. This plantain was spectacular. The best we’ve ever had, it wasn’t overly fried, or sweet. The overall combination was mind blowing. We really want to know how it’s made!
Sweets
At this point we were full! And couldn’t take any more food, so on this visit no dessert, but we will be back.
Verdict
The service was outstanding and the food was delicious. We had a very good evening. The restaurant was busy with different group sizes. Good for all types of occasion, dates, friends, family (even with young children) and big groups (10+ people).
Dress Code: Casual
Cuisine: Peruvian
Amen’s Star dish: Plantain with yacón syrup, feta and black olive
Shiima’s Star dish: Smoked cheddar tequeños and Plantain
Price: £30
Rating: 4 out of 5
Pachamama London
18 Thayer Street
London
W1U 3JY
020 7935 9393
http://pachamamalondon.com
Book on OpenTable or on website.
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