WHAT: Sabor Peruano Internacional
WHERE: 103 Newington Butts, London SE1 6SF
PRICE: £14-18
OUR RATING: Do It!
Storefront City needed some warm and hearty (not to mention delicious) food to keep us going during the grim and rainy days, so we headed down to Elephant and Castle with a couple of friends to one of their favourite South London restaurants – Sabor Peruano Internacional. Serving homestyle Peruvian soups, fish stews and Creole rice dishes, Sabor Peruano Internacional may not look like much on the outside, but offers a cosy and welcoming space full of energy and a knack for tasty and authentic Peruvian food.
As soon as we walked into the space we felt immediately welcome and at home, with everyone around us including the staff incredibly friendly – the only thing we felt slightly intimidated by was the remarkably extensive menu! To start the night off right we decided to try their Pisco sour, the national cocktail of Peru and a drink none of us had tasted before. Featuring pisco, lime, egg white and sugar, this drink was ridiculously delicious, and deadly as well in the full pitcher it came in!
Our appetites growing, we decided to try one of their more famed appetisers, a ceviche de pescado. Served alongside chifle (fried plantain chips) and cancha salada (toasted, dried and salted chulpe corn), these delicate pieces of raw fish marinated with lemon juice and spices were mouth-wateringly good, and was a decent portion to share amongst us. However to be honest, we could have done with a whole bowl of the cancha salada itself – such an addictive snack!
A majority of our party had very carnivorous appetites that evening, so opted for a few plates of the most popular dish in the venue, the lomo saltado. Featuring fried beef slices with onions, tomatoes and red pepper, alongside a healthy portion of chips and rice, this dish lovingly represents the cultural blending of Peru and Asia, as it also combines the use of aji amarillo paste and soy sauce in a classic stir fry technique. It’s clear why this dish is so popular at Sabor Peruano Internacional, and throughout Peru in general, and is definitely something we’ll continue to go back to again and again.
We also decided on a chicken dish that evening, their Papa a la Huancaína con pollo. Another traditional dish, here potatoes are boiled in a spicy, creamy sauce made of queso fresco along with garlic, onion and yellow Peruvian pepper, and our version also came with tender shredded chicken. None of our party had tried this dish before, so obviously have nothing to compare it to. While very delicious, it was a bit one note – but that was just in comparison with the more heavily spiced lomo soltado. We could have used a bit more heat, but that’s definitely just our own taste preferences. This was definitely a unique dish to try – but we’re interested to see next time what other plates they have on offer.
We of course had to round off the night with some dessert, opting to try their helado de lucuma and picarones. Lucuma is a fruit native to South America, and something we’re now interested in trying in its original form. It’s hard for us to pin down the taste in this review, but imagine something like the mix of maple, sweet potato, butterscotch and caramel. The unique flavour and the texture of the ice cream was nice and creamy – writing about it makes us want another bite! It also served as the perfect complement to our picarones (like a doughnut but created from a batter including squash and sweet potato). Served alongside these decadent fried rings was a delicious syrup called chancaca, a sweet sauce made from raw unrefined sugar from sugarcane. Yum!
Final Thoughts: We can’t wait to go back to Sabor Peruano Internacional and bring more friends, since family and friends, and of course good homestyle food, seem to provide the backbone to this lovely establishment. We’ve learned so much about Peruvian food from just one supper, and are keen to learn and try more – and we of course can’t say no to some more Pisco sours along the way! The price is right too – you won’t find much cheaper in London, and if your stomach is full and happy at the end what more is there to ask?
