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AFTER HOURS
VirgilioMartínez
The Peruvian chef’s Lima Fitzrovia restaurant has held a Michelin star since 2013. He tells
Imogen Lepere about making his first ceviche and where he goes to eat in his hometown
Clockwise: Lima’s modern
interior; Virgilio; a sculpture in
Lima, Peru; Virgilo’s stunning
food from Lima in Fitzrovia
Clockwise: Lima’s kitchen; an
Amber dessert; Maido head chef
Mitsuharu Tsumura; Maido snacks
Where did you last go on holiday? As a chef, it’s difficult to
take time off. However, I recently spent two days in Hong Kong.
In the markets, you pick out amazing seafood and vendors cook
it in front of you with sautéed vegetables and rice. When it
comes to fine dining there, I was impressed by Amber at The
Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The chef, Richard Ekkebus,
has adapted classic French cooking techniques to Chinese
cuisine. I had the best chocolate soufflé I’ve ever tasted.
How does your upbringing influence your food? We lived
by the sea in Lima and I met lots of fishermen. I used to walk
along the beach and think they looked lonely standing by
themselves so I’d help them bring in their nets and then we’d
eat together. Those were the first ceviches I made. I’d gut the
fish on the rocks and add a squeeze of lime juice. When I was
older, I used to skateboard so I spent a lot of time on the streets,
which led to my love of Peruvian street food.
What are your favourite South American flavours? Dried
potato stews like my grandmother used to make. The technique
comes from the Andes. We harvest potatoes and leave them to
dry for 30 days. By this point they’re rock-solid so we put them
in water until they ferment and then stew them.
Where in Lima do you go to eat? I love a neighbourhood
called Barranco. The atmosphere is very cool and there are lots
of cafés serving wild coffee and wild cacao. I like easy-going
cevicherias such as El Mercado and La Mar, and I highly
recommend a Japanese-Peruvian restaurant called Maido.
For traditional Peruvian dishes, you can’t beat La Picantería.
Where’s the best place you’ve eaten recently? Mugaritz in
San Sebastián. The food is very conceptual and full of emotion,
and makes you really think about what you’re eating. There isn’t
a menu and the experience lasts a few hours. I really enjoyed a
spoon made out of sugar, paper flowers and a totally reimagined
version of turrón (a traditional Spanish sweet). Next on my list is
Fäviken, Magnus Nilsson’s restaurant in Sweden.
Where do you find your inspiration? Peru’s landscapes and
its people. We’re one of the most biodiverse countries in the
world. Between the Andes and the Pacific Coast we have 30
climates and there are only 32 in the world, so we have an
incredible range of ingredients to choose from. The cuisine is a
fusion of cultures, including Spain, Italy, China and Japan.
What makes a great dish great? Nowadays you have to go
beyond the taste of a dish. Of course that’s important but a
great dish has a message. It should tell you about exceptional
producers and where the ingredients come from, represent who
has cooked it and tell the story of the restaurant.
To try Virgilio’s food, book a table at Lima Fitzrovia or head to
Harrods Food Halls. Visit limalondongroup.com
Photos by Leslie Searles/PromPerú; Maido