Lima chef Virgilio Martínez on his new Peruvian cookbook

Virgilio Martínez’s Lima brought stunning ceviche to the capital. Now he wants us to make his dishes at home, says Katie Law

Latin lessons: Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez at Lima Floral

Daniel Hambury

Katie Law @jkatielaw

14 October 2015

Every time Peruvian chef Virgilio Martínez used to come through English customs, he would get searched for drugs. “I got stopped a lot, especially if I’d been through Colombia; they’d stick a needle into all the things I’d bring over to cook with and then test it,” says the 38-year-old chef and proprietor of Lima, London’s only Michelin-starred Peruvian restaurant.

These days customs officers wouldn’t bat an eyelid if they came across bags of quinoa or chia seeds, although Martínez doesn’t bother any more as most of his favourite superfood staples are available here.

“I bet 10 years ago you didn’t know what quinoa was but it’s always been a part of my elemental diet; it’s the same with chia seeds,” says Martínez, who looks jetlagged — he’s just flown in to London to promote his new cookbook, Lima: Peruvian Home Cooking.

Based in the Peruvian capital, where he runs Central, a destination restaurant along the lines of The Fat Duck or El Bulli, that serves 17-course tasting menus and is booked out months in advance, Martinez comes to London often, leaving his wife, Pia Leon, who is head chef there, in charge. She came to Central to work for him six years ago and after pursuing her for a year in the kitchen, he says, she finally agreed to go out with him.

As well as checking up on Lima in Fitzrovia, which opened in 2012 (and won that Michelin star a year later) and Lima Floral, which opened last year (he co-runs the business with head chef Roberto Ortiz and Peruvian brothers Jose Luis and Gabriel Gonzalez), Martínez is fascinated by London’s gastro scene. “I’ve tried lots of restaurants. My favourites are Polpo, Barrafina and The Palomar. They know how make people happy and the prices aren’t too high. When we first opened Lima we thought we were just this exotic little Peruvian restaurant but we’re part of the London scene now too”. Although he thinks there’s room for more Peruvian restaurants in London, he says he has no plans to open another Lima.

He credits Martin Morales for introducing Peruvian food to London, since Morales opened Ceviche just a few months before Lima. “Martin’s cuisine is more traditional and classical than ours, whereas ours reflects what’s going on in the city of Lima as it is now,” he says, “It’s a fusion of years of immigrants. Of Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Arab and of course the Incas’ legacy, all melting together.” Martínez says it’s important to be aware of changing tastes, such as reducing sugar and salt. “If people say sugar is bad we try to work with honey or syrups; we want people to feel healthy.”

He flinches when asked about food trends. “They come, they’re hot and then they go,” he says, even though his favourite ingredients such as several types of quinoa, chia seeds, amaranth, cassava and blue potatoes are trending in the capital. He predicts the next big thing will be the oca, a potato-like tuber. “It’s a beautiful root that grows in the Andes and in the North of England now. I think you’ll hear a lot more about it.”

Lima, Rathbone Place, W1

Martínez likes to go foraging in the Andes. He’s persuaded Amazonian and Andean communities to cultivate crops such as palm hearts, wild potatoes, cassava and corn for him but he occasionally tries something he shouldn’t. “One time I misunderstood one of the locals. I thought he said I should try it. Then he started gesturing ‘no, no, no’ as my throat started to swell up. I thought I was going to die. The guy cleaned my mouth with another plant and I was fine.”

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Altitude sickness is another problem for which the remedy is chewing coca leaves (from which cocaine is derived). “Afterwards you feel great and have energy. It’s even better mixed with crushed chia seeds; everyone does it but we can’t do that here,” he says, laughing. If it weren’t for the fact that importing coca leaves into the UK is illegal, he’d love to make the coca pisco sour. Thankfully his book is full of alternatives. Quinoa milk and berry smoothie, anyone?

Lima: The Cookbook by Virgilio Martínez (Mitchell Beazley, £25)

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Virgilio Martínez

Lima: The Cookbook

Lima Floral

Lima chef Virgilio Martínez on his new Peruvian cookbook

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