Score: 5.75
Best for: non-traditional Lunch or Drinks in East London
Being Peruvian I pride myself on the fact that our food is great, and great is an understatement. I love Peruvian food with all my being, and it’s because of this that I'm as obsessed with food as I am. So whenever I go to a new Peruvian restaurant I have very high expectations. Yes, I have come to terms with the fact that no Peruvian restaurant here will serve you the portions (at the prices) that you get back home, and it will be a miracle if they can get all the original ingredients - but I still expect quite a bit from them, probably unfairly so.
When Bex proposed Andina for brunch I was both excited but a bit nervous. Not because the menu didn’t look amazing, but because it was going to be a reflection of what Peruvian cuisine was like, the first time my friends would try it, and if it went wrong I would be terribly embarrassed.
Needless to say, when we arrived at Andina London on that particular Sunday morning I was crossing my fingers! We were recovering form a night out and were ready for some hearty, almost-home-cooked meal (in my case) to cure the hangover and get us through the day. Eyeing the menu and still waiting for Bex to cross the city to Shoreditch we decided to go for the Cassava chips to start - which were probably the best thing that happened to us and available in the vegan/GF menu. With some Peruvian/Latin music in the background and a cool ambience close to the bar we could see this would probably be a better place for lunch or dinner.
The order:
Best for: non-traditional Lunch or Drinks in East London
Being Peruvian I pride myself on the fact that our food is great, and great is an understatement. I love Peruvian food with all my being, and it’s because of this that I'm as obsessed with food as I am. So whenever I go to a new Peruvian restaurant I have very high expectations. Yes, I have come to terms with the fact that no Peruvian restaurant here will serve you the portions (at the prices) that you get back home, and it will be a miracle if they can get all the original ingredients - but I still expect quite a bit from them, probably unfairly so.
When Bex proposed Andina for brunch I was both excited but a bit nervous. Not because the menu didn’t look amazing, but because it was going to be a reflection of what Peruvian cuisine was like, the first time my friends would try it, and if it went wrong I would be terribly embarrassed.
Needless to say, when we arrived at Andina London on that particular Sunday morning I was crossing my fingers! We were recovering form a night out and were ready for some hearty, almost-home-cooked meal (in my case) to cure the hangover and get us through the day. Eyeing the menu and still waiting for Bex to cross the city to Shoreditch we decided to go for the Cassava chips to start - which were probably the best thing that happened to us and available in the vegan/GF menu. With some Peruvian/Latin music in the background and a cool ambience close to the bar we could see this would probably be a better place for lunch or dinner.
The order:
- Cassava Chips (v) with Andean Ocopa herb and nut dip
- 3 Full Peruvian breakfasts – poached eggs, pork chicharrón, quinoa cake and avocado on toast
- 2 Eggs, Avocado, Sourdough Toast (v) (eggs any style)
The problems all started after ordering. They took over half an hour to bring our food, and when they did it was only the Full Peruvians. Assuming that the rest would arrive soon and being well mannered we were not going to start eating until everyone had been served. The restaurant was not busy and, after all, how long could some poached eggs with avo take?
Well, as we found out, 30 mins was the waiting time for these eggs. We demanded an explanation - yes Peruvians work to different schedules (hello! Queen of unpunctuality speaking!) but even this was a stretch. According to the manager it was all due to a kitchen problem, the fact that other people’s plates were arriving and no one else seemed to be complaining is a detail we'll try to let pass. But when the eggs arrived after half an hour they were as cold as our 30-min-standing Full Peruvian breakfasts. What took the prize though was the waitress’s hurry to take away the empty plates, even when some of us where not finished! Had the food been warm (and on time) we might have let the service impasse, well, pass. But hey, sometimes things like this happen and of course the manager was understanding, but only took away the drinks from our tab for the troubles.
All in all this was our first and only brunch experience at Andina London. We're not saying that you shouldn't go – there are certainly several good things about the place – just maybe try lunch, drinks or dinner instead, or if you go for brunch we hope “the kitchen is working” that day! Otherwise, we would suggest you order granola.
By Nadine C.
Well, as we found out, 30 mins was the waiting time for these eggs. We demanded an explanation - yes Peruvians work to different schedules (hello! Queen of unpunctuality speaking!) but even this was a stretch. According to the manager it was all due to a kitchen problem, the fact that other people’s plates were arriving and no one else seemed to be complaining is a detail we'll try to let pass. But when the eggs arrived after half an hour they were as cold as our 30-min-standing Full Peruvian breakfasts. What took the prize though was the waitress’s hurry to take away the empty plates, even when some of us where not finished! Had the food been warm (and on time) we might have let the service impasse, well, pass. But hey, sometimes things like this happen and of course the manager was understanding, but only took away the drinks from our tab for the troubles.
All in all this was our first and only brunch experience at Andina London. We're not saying that you shouldn't go – there are certainly several good things about the place – just maybe try lunch, drinks or dinner instead, or if you go for brunch we hope “the kitchen is working” that day! Otherwise, we would suggest you order granola.
By Nadine C.