Tomorrow, pioneer of Peruvian cooking Martin Morales will launch London’s first Peruvian bakery, as he opens the doors to Andina Panaderia on Westbourne Grove alongside a brand new restaurant, Andina Picanteria. Located side by side at 155 and 157 Westbourne Grove, Andina Panaderia and Andina Picanteria pay homage to the female Andean chefs who have inspired Martin 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.
The open-plan space is a contemporary take on an Andina bakery with eucalyptus wood tables accentuated by mustard yellow seating, breads and pastries on display, clay quartz counters and terracotta and porcelain pendant lights designed by Hand & Eye. Oiled oak shelves will feature pieces from London-based potters while the poured cement floor will lead guests from the front café space through to the open bakery at the back. Not only a home for Peruvian baking in London, Andina Panaderia will shine a light on pottery and provide a space for leading London and Peruvian makers to retail their works through a series of month-long collaborations and talks.
“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,” says Martin Morales, chef and founder of the Ceviche Family.
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. Bigger 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. Specially commissioned contemporary and mid-century rustic oak chairs and tables are finished with soft velvet sheen lounge banquettes in garden green and cherry. Walls will be lined with bespoke, light oak lattices, a common feature in picanterias across the Andes, whilst Peruvian contemporary art will fill the restaurant with vibrant colour to complement the bright dishes and drinks.
“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!” adds Raquel Oliveira, Managing Director of the Ceviche Family.