Lima Floral - Covent Garden, London

We have a lot of love for LIMA, the Peruvian steam engine that could which was the first restaurant serving the cuisine to be awarded a Michelin star in London. So we were quite pleasantly surprised to learn that Gabriel Gonzalez and Virgilio Martinez were opening a sister restaurant in Covent Garden on Garrick Street in the building that formerly housed Heaton, Butler and Bayne, and, prior to that, the largest producer of stained glass in Victorian London.

The room is an absolute beauty. Expansive floor-to-ceiling windows draw in a plenitude of natural light, creating a similar atmosphere to its elder sister restaurant, while gothic arches imbue the room with an added theatricality. The pillars have been painted a brilliant teal colour in keeping with the colour palette in the Fitzrovian restaurant, which similarly dovetails with the cubist mural painted onto one of the far walls. For those that would rather pop in for a relaxed snack and a drink there is dark and atmospheric pisco bar downstairs with an extensive list of Peruvian inspired cocktails. The pisco sour served here is our favourite in the capital.

Lima Floral carries on the precise attention to detail and artful arrangement masterminded by Virgilio Martinez, with small plates so beautifully presented that you'll be loath to ruin them with your cutlery. Of the starters that we sampled we were most taken by the sea bream ceviche, presented in a clear bowl with the white fish immersed in an astringent tiger's milk (a broth of lime, chilli, salt and pepper that citrus cooks the ingredients), studded with fried cancha corn and topped with delicate, crisp strands of red onions. The tuna causa was also quite toothsome. An orange hued tian of tuna tartar was served next to a brilliant yellow cylinder of mashed potato bristling with colourful crudités.

For our mains, we opted for the organic lamb, which featured alternating orbs of eco dry potato and queso fresco (fresh cheese) extruded onto a rectangular slate plate, and topped with medallions of lamb rump, dollops of quinoa and threads of crispy blue potato. The hot ceviche a la piedra was equally delicious. Lima serves the fish very lightly cooked in a warm broth of tiger's milk, sweet potato, razor-thin courgette and 'yuyo' seaweed. It was light and delicious, perfect for a health-conscious lunch.

As we segued into dessert we were pleased by the inventiveness of the dishes, with each pudding containing an element that would usually be considered savoury. The Suspiro Ardiente was our favourite. It boasted dulce de leche with a sweet, granular beetroot powder topping speared by shards of brittle wafers with dry lima chilli powder. The chocolate option held its punches though, with Palo Blanco Peru Cacao, oats and wood sorrel, it was rich and slightly bitter at the same time. Lima Floral seems to have picked up where its progenitor left off, with ingredients that are a bit more daring in a larger space. We'd be surprised if it didn't follow in Lima's Fitzrovian footsteps and quickly capture a Michelin star.