Casita Andina, Soho ★★★★★

In a nutshell: Martin Morales’ new Soho restaurant serves excellent Peruvian dishes with great aplomb

The welcome: Ceviche founder Morales is closely associated with high end restaurants, which makes this casual and relaxed spot such a pleasure. A ‘picanteria’ which specialises in food from the Andes, it serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in a Soho townhouse, and offers gluten-free dishes that don’t stint on taste or quality.

The room: You are greeted with a casual bar area on the ground floor, and a more grown-up restaurant space lurks on the first floor. If you’re only visiting for a quick snack and a drink, you’ll be fine downstairs, but if you’re planning on making an evening of it, you’ll want to make a reservation in the comfortable and cosy space upstairs.

The food: If you’ve been to any of Morales’ other establishments, you’ll have an idea of what to expect, but there are several unusual twists and innovations here. One thing that has remained intact, thankfully, are the pisco sours, which are every bit as delicious as before. While you sip on one, sample one of the small appetisers, of which the avocado fritters and the pork croquetas are probably the pick.

After that, you’re encouraged to pick a variety of hot and raw dishes, which range from the sublime (maca lamb loin, king prawns with quail egg) to the more surprising and confusing; the lamb sweetbreads will delight carnivores but bemuse those of less hearty dispositions, and a ceviche of sea bass and avocado is tart to the point of being almost difficult to eat. Nonetheless, the cooking and preparation are of an extremely high standard in this impressive place. And the wine is sublime – a bottle of Uruguayan Tannat is smooth and disturbingly easy to drink.

Would we go again? Absolutely, whether for a full meal or a quick pisco sour and snack.