• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Elevenses
  • Business
  • Food
  • Travel
  • Property
  • JOBS
  • All
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Sport
    • Tech/Auto
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Food and Drink

Andina: Review

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  Sunday morning, blue skies and a crisp autumn breeze wafts aromas of exotic street food across London’s East End. It was an idyllic start to the day, but I’d got a cob on. I’ve just been seated at a trendy Peruvian cafe by a cheerful and polite […]

Joe Mellor by Joe Mellor
2014-10-05 18:31
in Food and Drink
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic 

Sunday morning, blue skies and a crisp autumn breeze wafts aromas of exotic street food across London’s East End. It was an idyllic start to the day, but I’d got a cob on.

I’ve just been seated at a trendy Peruvian cafe by a cheerful and polite hostess. Chefs were busy preparing an array of breakfast options in the open plan kitchen and my Americano had arrived promptly in a nice tactile porcelain mug with the milk on the side, just how I like it. The menu demonstrated the indigenous Inca cuisines that have been sculpted by veritable world influences, and yet I couldn’t wave the feeling that all I was seeing was icing sugar on an otherwise bland cake.

From the outset it’s easy to be lulled into a false perception of originality. Street food meets chic Shoreditch, bringing the outside in, cooking up classic breakfast dishes with a Peruvian twist. But don’t be fooled. It’s like an X-Factor contestant that sings a classic but ‘with their own twist’. It’s infuriating. As Chuck Palahniuk once wrote, sticking feathers up your arse does not make you a chicken; a truism that rang from the walls in Andina.

But I thought I’d buy into the idea before being completely dismissive of it. I selected their ‘take’ on Eggs Benedict from the menu, a combination of smoked trout, poached egg with quinoa pancake, asparagus and amarillo chilli sauce named Benadicto. It was a close choice between that and the Chicharron sandwich, but the menu description of the latter was off putting. “Like the best bacon sandwich” the menu read. Does that mean they’ve found the best bacon sandwich and replicated it, or is it a play on the Americanism? The first is theoretically flawed and the other is grammatically flawed, either way it wasn’t cool.

The food was bland but had a nice touch of heat. If there was trout in there it was difficult to taste it. Despite the restaurant showcasing all the street food characteristics from the outset (a contradiction in terms, by the way) the dish was presented with all the traits of a restaurant chain. When you put something like that in the East End where there’s actually inventive culinary ventures in abundance then you’ll get found out.

You see, there’s not a lot wrong with this joint. The food is original and fresh, no complaints about the staff or service, but there’s something about the constant churn of super food smoothies, the chalk board that’s more concerned about values than specialities, the wicker basket light shades and the jars of pickled everything and anything that makes you think, ah piss off.

RelatedPosts

Wetherspoons puts more pubs up for sale after shedding 30 already

Tourist calls police after being charged more than £500 for one dish in restaurant

Cinnamon Kitchen celebrates 15th anniversary with spectacular dinner

Barrafina announces exciting new guest chef for two nights only

Previous Post

I want to live in… Clapton

Next Post

Lib Dems; so undermined, so important

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

More from TLE

Russell Brand is ‘a narcissist, borderline psychopath and definitely a sociopath’ – Gordon Smart

Car industry ‘utterly furious’ with the government – sources

Sunak bows to pressure, weakens climate pledges

Sunak approval rating ‘lowest ever’ following net-zero speech

Tourist calls police after being charged more than £500 for one dish in restaurant

‘We don’t want to diverge’ from EU rules, Starmer says

‘Republicans In Your Bedroom’ film will send shivers down your spine

BBC asked to explain media blackout over National Rejoin March

Sunak pledges to stop hypothetical things that don’t exist

‘British democracy can reverse Brexit’ – March For Rejoin issues rallying cry

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




-->