GLUTTONY @ LIMA, MUMBAI

This upscale eatery has been intriguing Mumbaikars with its distinctive gastronomy for a few months now. Hence I too decided to pay a visit to this restaurant to titillate my taste buds. The place dishes up traditional Peruvian and other Latin American cuisines for patrons providing a truly international dining experience. Extending its repertoire of culinary styles, the restaurant has now introduced popular Mexican street food delicacies in their menu. So, quickly settling into the restaurant, I commenced my gluttony with a few classic and a few new food offerings.
 
Here is look at what I ended up sampling at this place.

CEVICHE CLASSICO
I initiated my meal with this signature preparation of the restaurant and Peruvian cuisine rather than those on the new menu. A spoonful of the dish was enough to get me hooked onto it. Sea bass cubes cured with Leche de Tigre (a blend of salt, pepper, onions, lime, lemon) were the highlight. The addition of sweet potato confit introduced sweetness in this otherwise superbly tangy preparation. A garnish of crisped corn kernels brought a nice crunch to the dish. 
 
MEXICAN STREET FOOD
ZUPPA DI CORN & BUTTER ESQUITES
This corn broth was buttery, tart, creamy and had a crunchy texture from the corn kernels and potato crisps.

PICO DE GALLO MOLETTES
Salsa fresca or a mixture of chopped onions, tomatoes, green coriander, lime juice came topped on a piece of toasted brioche. While the topping was simple yet flavorful, the bread had turned soggy with the content of the salsa making this dish not very appealing to the palate.

TINGA CHICKEN TOSTADA
Boneless chicken chunks were cooked in a tomato, onion and chili gravy and served on a tortilla chip base with a sour cream garnish. The topping had sour, subtly sweet and spicy flavors while the base introduced a nice crunch in the dish.

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS
This dish was a fusion between the Peruvian and Mexican cuisine. The quesadillas that are a Mexican favorite came stuffed with not only the customary cheese but also a filling of chicken flavored with raisins and the Peruvian pepper, aji panca. This sweet and mildly piquant filling was a pleasure to the palate but it would have been more appetizing had the tortilla covering been little less greasy.

LAMB PIBIL CHIMICHANGA
This dish entailed shredded, spiced, roasted lamb, refried beans, cheese rolled in tortillas and deep fried. The lamb was cooked to perfection and the filling was very flavorful. But, the tortilla covering was too thick and its inner layers had remained a bit undercooked due to its thickness.

LIMA SHARING (Plato Principal or Entrées)
SWEET POTATO GRATIN
The dish made its appearance in a sophisticated way where sweet potato slices treated with chili adobo came stashed neatly and garnished with cherry tomato salad and pineapple chunks. My only discomfort with the dish was that the like most tubers, the sweet potato too had not totally absorbed the flavors from the adobo and so I felt all the elements of the dish were not gelling together to create a flavorful experience for the palate.
​
CHILAQUILES
This was your quintessential Mexican dish where nachos were baked with oodles of cheese and generous amount of salsa to yield a crispy, saucy dish laden with cheese.

BEAN STEW WITH MEXICAN RICE
A mixture of beans was cooked in a tomato onion based gravy that was not overtly spicy. The stew had very usual flavors reminiscent of our Indian lentil preparations but it was paired with a wonderfully smoked, lemony Mexican Rice that made the overall dish appealing to my taste buds.
 
After having stomached quite a bit of the new menu, I decided to give the desserts a miss. There were clearly some hits and misses for me on the food menu. Also, in my opinion the pricing of the menu is on the premium side making the place a choice for select occasions rather than regular dining. In addition, Lima's spacious, rustic ambience and amicable service makes for a comfortable dining experience.
 
So, do try out this place and let me know of your thoughts about this place.
 
Till then HAPPY EATING...