Everything But The Kitchen Sink- Coya Restaurant, London

I've happened to stumble across a new found love for Peruvian food. There's something about the strange mix of Japanese and Mexican food that gets me excited- who knew that this little South American country, located somewhere between Bolivia and Ecuador, was full of delicious dishes of all sorts! 

After months of having the much treasured by Londoners, Coya, on my 'must visit and eat everything' list, I finally managed to tick it off- and my oh my was it worth the wait. 

Having, for once, decided to plan my time efficiently I arrived at Coya 30 minutes before our reservation and was greeted by the smiley Maître d'who was more than happy to usher me down the bellowing staircase to take a seat in the most prized position in the house- The Bar. 

Twiddling my thumbs got a tad boring- so I decided to preempt my fine friends orders with 3 [large- ahem] glasses of wine which may or may not have all decreased significantly in level by the time they arrived [sorry ladies!] 

"Your table is ready ladies..." 

Thank the lord for that. Now make no qualms about it, Coya is not industrially sized. We sauntered our way through the wine walled walk-way into the main restaurant area... 

And immediately felt at home. The interior has serious flirtations of Aztec throughout with pops of colour that make this place, to put it simply, quite a fun place to dine! 

Having studied the menu intensely prior to arriving, we sang of our dishes like lyrics to an old time classic...

First up, Esparragos Peruanos

Asparagus in a deliciously amarillo chilli sauce... 

Followed by Sea Bass Ceviche 

Rounded off with the most delicate Scallops, which quite frankly made my heart sing. 

And that was just to start... 

Yellow Fin Tuna Ceviche- which I wasn't as big a fan of but went down phenomenally with the rest of the group. There's something about the texture of Tuna Ceviche that weirds me out...

The most delicious Sweet Corn Salad...

A divinely crisp portion of succulent pork belly...

Go on take a closer look... Can't you just hear the crunch?

Crrrrrrunchy goodness!

At this point, we took a few minutes to come up for air after what was 2 hours of constant eating. They always say to hydrate yourself in between physical activities right?

Which is exactly what we did!

And back in we went... 

Mushroom Skewers draped in a stickily sweet yet crisp sauce

Crisp Baby Chicken that lasted all of 3 minutes- just enough time for me to swoop in and take a picture for you all.. 

Prior to me getting my hand batted away by a friends surveillancing fork. 

A round of Patatas Bravas just for good measure... 

And a hit for my vegetarians...

But then came the closing act. The final fanfare, The Pièce de résistance- Her name was Langostino Tigre. 

I'd heard tonnes about her- she was talk of the town. But there are, honestly, little to no words that can explain just how delicious she was...

Perfection. 

Hours of catching up, gossiping conversation and eating the entirety of the restaurant later we got down to desserts- where I usually conduct my best business. 

"What would you recommend Sir?" 

I managed to breathe out in between hysterical wales of laughter. 

"I'll bring you something..." Our ever so mysterious waiter, Pedro, announced as he briskly departed back to the kitchen area... 

A train of Salted Caramel happiness accented with a torte sorbet...

Alongside a beautifully light, oozing fondant...

Good call Pedro. 

Having eaten everything but the kitchen sink on the Coya menu, I'd definitely say this place is worth a visit! Whether your going with old friends, on a romantic date or just fancy a dabble in a different cuisine from the usual haunts- this is the place to be!