Peruvian

COYA Angel Court City

31-33 Throgmorton Street London EC2N 2AT

Tel: +44 (0) 203 9070 000

Email: info.ac@coyarestaurant.com

I reviewed the original COYA at the Hyde Park end of Piccadilly a couple of years ago not long after it opened. I loved its sophisticated take on Peruvian cuisine so I was intrigued to be invited to review the newly launched day-to-night Pisco Lounge and restaurant at COYA Angel Court in Bank.

The restaurant is just a stone’s throw from Bank station and our first stop on arrival was the COYA’S Pisco Lounge. As you might expect it features a comprehensive Pisco library, over 40 tequilas and an extensive rum list. Sadly they wouldn’t let me move in.

We went for that South American classic, The Pisco Sour (£12) made with Pisco Quebranta, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup and egg white. It’s a frothy citric drink with a hint of bite and one of my favourite summer cocktails. If I’m feeling brave next time I’ll hit the Chilli Margarita and throw some shapes to the sound of the DJ…

In the restaurant you are surrounded by vibrant Incan colours and bespoke Latin American furniture which give what is quite a large space a sense of sense of character and intimacy. There is a private dining room and plenty of action coming from the Ceviche counter and the open charcoal grill.

Whilst we were clocking the menu our waiter turned up bearing a pestle and mortar, 1 1/2 avocados, some red onion and chilli and a handful of sea salt. Be still my beating heart…I could hardly contain my excitement as he created the perfect Guacamole tableside. It was so fresh with the perfect balance of heat offsetting the vegetal smoothness of the avocado. With corn tortillas and prawn crackers on the side we were off to a great start.

Ordering from the Ceviche menu we ordered the Langosta (£19). A succulent half lobster portion perched atop a delicate pool of gazpacho with a bit of kick provided by the tasty aji limo chilli. Our French sommelier suggested matching the dish with a light and creamy Urakasumi Honjozo Sake which was a brilliant and unexpected choice.

Soft shell crab Tacos- Cangrejo de concha blanda (£12) – were impeccable with the delicate flavour of the crab enhanced and not overwhelmed by the tang of yuzu, a slick of aioli and the slight addition of chilli heat.

From the Para Picar menu (small sharing plates) Fiona chose the Cerdo Bao (£6.50). Slow-cooked deliciously flakey pulled pork with chipotle and a ‘criolla’ (creole) salsa served in a spiced mayo Bao-style bun with fresh coriander.

Langostino Tigre (£29) was a huge Josper-grilled (charcoal) Tiger Prawn. Taken out of the shell it was mixed with a chilli salsa creating a wonderfully rich tasting dish accompanied by a crisp, peachy Uruguayan Albariño from Bodegas Garzon.

Arroz Nikkei (£36) was a standout dish for me. Chilean sea bass was served with rice, lime, chilli and a corn purée. The fish had a caramel sweetness almost like a black cod and blended with the starchy rice and corn it created a fabulous dish. With it we drank an Argentinian Susana Balbo Signature Rosé, a blend of Malbec and Pinot Noir, which had a wonderful strawberry aroma whilst maintaining a sense of minerality.

Sides included Esparragos Peruanos (£7) – grilled Peruvian asparagus served with a tomato dressing, and Choy sum Chifa (£6) – stir-fried Choy sum, soya with sesame seeds both showing a real attention to detail and flavour.

Mousse de Coco (£9) was a delicious dessert of a fluffy coconut mousse, Jivara chocolate and pineapple sorbet. A wonderful Urakasumi Umeshu plum sake had an intense almond nose but was not as sweet as a plum wine.

Caramelo con Chocolate y Sorbete de Frambuesa (£9) was a dark and mysterious salted caramel ganache given a bit of vava voom by a pisco and raspberry sorbet. We sank a lovely glass of plummy Luccardi Malammado , a fortified port-like Malbec from Argentina to go with it.

A glass of Ruinart rosé champagne was the perfect end to a meal that combined traditional Peruvian cooking with Japanese, Chinese and Spanish cuisines. There was a real vibrancy and sense of consistency to the food at COYA Angel Court. It really feels that is the Nikkei/Peruvian food axis where the action is at the moment in gastronomy and if you are looking for something deliciously different then you should try out COYA.

COYA Mayfair

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118 Piccadilly, London W1J 7NW

020 7042 7118/www.coyarestaurant.com/

Coya

When I grow up I think I want to be Arjun Waney. He is the restaurateur behind many of London’s more glamorous joints, creating stylish spaces with food that takes a concept and then runs with it-all perfectly attuned to the wealthier end of the London market. Whether it’s Japanese at Zuma and Roka, Provençal at Le Petit Maison, Italian at Banca and now Peruvian at Coya his locations and menus are grown up and sophisticated without being stuffy in any way.

Coya artwork

After a slightly chaotic start to our lunch with Google Maps sending us to the wrong end of Piccadilly, we descended into the surprisingly large and airy basement that Coya inhabits.

The Ceviche Bar and Open Charcoal Grill are blended in to provide some theatre.

Charcoal Grill

The look is ethnic Peruvian chic contrasting with London’s other Peruvian hangouts-Ceviche’s street cool and Lima’s urban style.

The bar at Coya

To celebrate our arrival we downed a couple of perfectly mixed Pisco Sours. They were so good with their trademark citrus kick that we decided against ordering any wine and stuck with them through most of the meal.

Pisco Sour

Peruvian food brings together influences from the indigenous population as well as from the Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Italian and West African immigrant communities. Coya’s food concept is based around sharing plates with several menus covering different styles and our waiter suggested ordering one from each.

Lubina Clasico

We started from the Ceviche menu with the Lubina Clasico-Sea Bass, red onions, sweet potato, white corn (£8). Ceviche is a Peruvian staple-raw fish marinated for a short amount of time in citrus juice spiced with chilli (aji in Spanish). This was as good to eat as it was to look at-the fish was very fresh and full of flavour and not overwelmed by the chilli in the tiger’s milk dressing.

Conchas de Abanico

Our next dish was Conchas de Abanico (£12) from the Tiraditos menu. Tiradito is a serving of raw fish, similar to a carpaccio or sashimi and served in a hot sauce but with no onions. Our dish contained scallops, carrot, ginger and coriander cress and again had that delicious citrus and chilli combination.

Calamares Fritos con Ocopa

From the Para Picar (small dishes) menu Calamares Fritos con Ocopa (£8.50) (Baby Squid, Peruvian Marigold, Quinoa) were well battered and came with a delicious green sauce made with Peruvian marigold which tastes similar to mint and is known as Huacatai.

Setas

Anticuchos are skewers of meat,fish or vegetable cooked over a charcoal grill. We chose Setas (£4.50)-Forest mushrooms, aji mirasol and parsley which turned out to be a highlight of the meal. They were wonderfully rich and meaty with a slight taste of cumin.

Josper charcoal grill

Moving at this point onto raspberry and mango Pisco sours we moved on to the Josper charcoal grill section of the menu. Originating from Spain, the Josper grill is fast becoming a mainstay of kitchens in many of the restaurants and steakhouses in London. It can reach temperatures of over 300 degrees celsius, gives a good char to the food and because the grill is enclosed, the fish, meat or vegetables being cooked retain their moisture and flavour.

Langostino Tigre

Hopefully you can see from the picture that my Langostino Tigre (£27) -Tiger prawns, chilli salsa-achieved the holy grail of grilling, char and tenderness without drying out.

My dining companion the redoubtable Fiona from London Unattached gets very excited at the prospect of South American steak and so chose the Lomo de Res (£29) -Rib eye, chimichurri, aji rocoto salsa-which also benefitted from the caress of the Josper. South Americans like their steak cooked medium and this was a classic combination with the parsley based chimichurri sauce (a salsa verde with added chilli) and the fierce heat of the rocoto pepper salsa which she pronounced delicious.

Esparragos Peruanos

For our sides we had Esparragos Peruanos (£6) -Peruvian asparagus, panca chilli, garlic-which had been grilled to within an inch of their life but were full of flavour, and Patatas Bravas a la Peruana (£5)-Crisp potatoes, spicy tomatoes, huancaina sauce-.

Patatas Bravas a la Peruana

The Patatas Bravas were given a Peruvian slant with the addition of huancaina sauce-a mix of amarillo chillies, queso fresco (fresh farmers cheese), milk, garlic and saltine crackers that managed to be creamy at the same time as having a spicy edge to its flavour.

Chocolate Fundido

Having eaten a lot by this point it would have been churlish not to have dessert, and with our Pisco sours finished the matched dessert wines seemed like a very attractive prospect. The Chocolate Fundido (£8) -Fortunato Chocolate, almond, white chocolate ice cream-was perfectly complemented by the glass of Maury, Mas Mudigliza, Rousillon, France 2009 (£14). The hot melted (fundido) chocolate oozed in a rather sexy manner out of and all over the chocolate sponge but without overwhelming the wine, made from the grenache grape by the vin doux naturel method of mutage where wine is fortified with unfermented grape juice and grape spirit.

Lucuma Bavarois, Passion Fruit Sorbet

Our second dessert was a Lucuma Bavarois, Passion Fruit Sorbet (£8). This was paired with a Gewurztraminer Vendage Tardive Hugel, Alsace, France 2000 (£12). The Lucuma was described to us as a cross between mango and avocado and is known for its dry flesh, with the texture of a hard-boiled egg yoke. This was an altogether lighter proposition, sweet and refreshing and beautifully set off by the floral notes of the wine.

I’m slowly starting to get a grip on aspects of South American food and drink. There has been such an explosion of restaurant openings and the concomitant interest in Mexican, Argentinian, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine that it must be on the radar of anyone interested in the contemporary scene. The combination of citrus and chilli with raw seafood, the new varieties of potato and corn, the use of the charcoal grill and the ubiquitous Pisco sour are all starting to enter our food consciousness. In the firmament of this welcome South American culinary invasion Coya stands out as a very classy act. As with all of Arjun Waney’s projects the level of investment is there to be seen; in the location, the size and specification of the kitchens and the standard of finish for the interior. Whilst we were there on a quiet Monday lunch it is easy to imagine the place really buzzing with good looking South Americans and London’s well-heeled enjoying the cultural and culinary adventure that the restaurant offers. Did I have any complaints? Well, my teapot for my mint tea clearly thought it was a watering can, managing to shower the table quite effectively, but apart from that Coya was perfect.

The Hedonist was a guest of Coya.

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