Pachamama East - Shoreditch, London

Pachamama quietly made waves after opening in Marylebone before garnering a devoted clientele with a strong showing from the fashion set. Now, on the back of their hard-earned success at both Pachamama and Chicama (in Chelsea), they've opened another restaurant on Shoreditch's Great Eastern Street. As chic (perhaps moreso) as its progenitors with a boisterous DJ-led vibe, Pachamama East serves an excellent array of Peruvian cuisine and cocktails at an exceptionally reasonable price, right in the centre of London's hippest borough.

Guests enter the double height dining room through either a stairway on Great Eastern Street or the ground level entrance on Willow Street and are promptly whisked away into a stylish, sultry bolthole. The design scheme conjoins uber-Shoreditchy industrial accents with leafy, South American hominess. Alongside reclaimed wooden tables and mid-century orb pendant lighting you'll find plenty of Peruvian patterns and textures and rainforest-y potted plants. Upon arriving we quickly despatched a perfect pair of Pisco Sours and awaited the Christmas Lunch tasting menu.

We weren't disappointed. Snacks were excellent. From the blistered padron peppers to the Szechuan-style bashed cucumber salad to the pork belly chicharrons, there wasn't a dull note. The ceviche course was similarly delicious - ruby red cubes of yellowfin tuna luxuriated in a spiky leche de tigre with pickled potato, XO and cucumber. Stir fried beef with Shaoxing rice wine and star anise was a revelations, particularly when paired with miso-cured carrot, black quinoa and Peruvian kimchi. But one of the best selection of the meal was, hands down, the Peruvian chocolate ganache which arrived with a spheroid of quinoa ice cream.

Perfect for dates, dinner with friends or the beginning of a stylish evening out, Pachamama East is a force to be reckoned with.