Tomorrow, Tuesday 15 May, pioneer of Peruvian cooking Martin Morales will launch London’s first Peruvian bakery, as he opens the doors to Andina Panaderia on alongside a brand new restaurant, Andina Picanteria.
Located side by side at 155 and 157 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, Andina Panaderia and Andina Picanteria pay homage to the female Andean chefs who have inspired Morales and his team since opening Ceviche.
Led by Head Pastry Chef Ana Velasquez, Andina Panaderia will specialise in slow-ferment baking with traditional sweet and savoury pastries and breads alongside hot dishes, lunchtime salads and all-day brunch-style dishes to eat in or take away.
The magic will begin in the early hours, when Andina’s bakers will fill the shelves with Peruvian breads such as Andean black mint and sweet potato sourdough; the delicately crusted traditional pan frances roll; and the challah-like chancay bread, a cinnamon-scented take on brioche.
Sweeter treats include the Pastel de Lúcuma, an Andean spin on the famed Portuguese custard tart and the chicha morada muffin, a purple corn muffin with a moorish corn and almond centre. A selection Peru’s finest coffee and teas will be available as well as Andina’s much loved smoothies and juices.
Martin Morales, chef and founder of the Ceviche Family, said, “I’ll never forget the first time I experienced the bakeries of the Andes. I was just six years old and after an eight-hour journey up through the mountains, we arrived at Santiago de Chuco, my gran’s village, to be greeted by the enticing aromas of fresh bread and pastries. My team and I have been travelling across the regions of the Andes meeting bakers, cooks, farmers and learning new recipes, techniques which we can’t wait to bring to London.”
Next door to Andina Panaderia will be the forty cover Andina Picanteria. Headed up by Chef Luca Depalo, the restaurant is an ode to the Peruvian picanterias, the family-run, roadside restaurants that form the culinary hub of the community across the eleven regions of the Peruvian Andes.
The brand new menu comprises small plates such as the Sivinche, an ancient take on ceviche, made with yellow fin tuna, trout roe and popped kiwicha and a purple corn tamal with choclo corn succotash and sweet kale pesto.
Larger dishes include Olluco potato locro, an authentic Andean style stew with broad beans and roast pumpkin will take their place on the menuu alongside feasting dishes like the braised adobo pork leg and 80 day aged Hereford sirloin with red pepper and Amarillo chilli escabeche.
Echoing the traditional picanteria, the space will have an open kitchen lined with rough granite stone surfaces and a home style chef’s table putting the chefs in the limelight.
Raquel Oliveira, Managing Director of the Ceviche Family, added, “We first introduced the flavours of the Andes to London in 2014 and over the years we’ve been busy travelling back to Peru discovering more about the traditions of the women-led picanterias.
'At Andina Picanteria we will be perfecting ancient techniques previously unseen in London and delving deeper into the rich culinary history of the Andes. We look forward to giving our new friends and neighbours in West London a typically warm Peruvian welcome!”