Pachamama is a very cosy basement restaurant on Thayer Street (just off of Marylebone high street). I read about it on Emerald Street's daily email blast which was handy as I happened to be meeting a friend nearby that evening.
The entrance is a set of double doors with stairs that lead down to what I now know is a haven of flavor awesomeness.
Staff were cheerful and quite obviously trying very hard to impress. You guys know how I feel about bar perches so of course we couldn't resist the opportunity to sit at this one.
For starters, this place has a very extensive cocktail menu with a whole section dedicated to a wide variety of pisco sours. We tried the house favorites first - Papa's Pisco and Mama's Pisco (in order below).
Both very delicious and strangely completely contrasting considering they're both pisco sours. Odd. Anyway, on to the real reason you're here. The food. Oh my the food.
Pachamama is all tapas dishes from the land, sea, and soil of varying sizes so we decided to sample our way through as much of the menu as possible. Not everything was successfully photographed due to the lighting but I did capture the very best of what we ordered.
Cornish sebass with samphire and tiger's milk - DELICIOUS. So many flavors loving each other on the palette. Perfect start to the meal.
Token greenery, the tenderstem broccoli with aji & maize cancha - very average. The maize cancha (creamy dollop on the side) had a strange after taste. Best to skip.
Blackened chicken, lime, treacle - DELICIOUS.
Peruvian asparagus, saffron yolk, peanuts - This was fine. My friend loved it, I usually prefer my asparagus undercooked but that's a personal opinion.
Can't eat Peruvian food without having plantains. Plantains are a west African staple I grew up on and it's always nice to see how others make it. This version was covered in feta cheese, an unusual combination that actually worked well.
Spiced spare ribs - another winner. Delicious and full of flavour. These aren't the fall off the bone kind though so if that's what you're after you might be disappointed. These are crispy and delicious.
And finally, last but DEFINITELY not least. ONE OF THE BEST DISHES I HAVE EVER HAD. Crispy lamb belly with green miso. OMG.
The pieces were so tender they were almost falling apart, the flavours were crazy. Smoked, sweet, spicy, unbelievable. I didn't know lamb could taste so good. And fatty bits? Forget about it. A beautiful dish and I will most definitely be back for these especially.
We were so impressed we asked to meet the head chef, Adam Rawson who despite only just entering his twenties is already well on his way to a Michelin star or two. He created the menu without having ever been to Peru and has all kinds of huge plans for the restaurant this year.
It was my first meet the chef moment and with bellies full, we posed to capture the moment.
This place is a gem and I can't wait to see what Adam and his team make of the restaurant after his planned revamp in the next few months.
To finish off the meal, we had to get dessert. Yeah that's right. HAD to. We went for the truffles. They're only small so they don't count...right?
Granted, they don't look great but they are spectacular. They were the right balance of dark chocolate bitter and milk chocolate sweet and came in a bowl with peanut butter brittle (??). So good! The chocolate melted as soon as it landed on the tongue.
The food was excellent, the staff were great, the venue is cosy and warm, and the head chef has more passion in his little finger than I could ever muster.
Get thee to Pachamama people! It's a winner.
xxs
I completely agree - the food was amazing, even though we went for the soft launch! Loved your post & Can't wait to go back to Pachamama!
ReplyDeleteRight?! The food was SO good! Thanks so much for stopping by! x
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