When a Peruvian friend highly recommended this little place in Elephant and Castle, as the best Peruvian roast chicken in town, we listened.
Emanuel is in the basement of a Eurotraveller budget hostel, just off Walworth Road. Thankfully, it's brightly signed, and easy to find. The owner and his wife run this small but well-decorated restaurant, enthusiastically frequented by Peruvians and other Latin Americans. The staff are extremely friendly (the owner speaks fluent English, but he's often not about; his wife speaks fairly good English) and make you feel welcome.
However.... we discovered that the star of the menu -- Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian rotisserie roast chicken -- which, oddly, is not even listed on the menu) -- must be ordered in advance! Imagine our sadness to discover this. But according to our friend, for £25, it's a deliciously flavoured roast chicken with herbs and spices including chili; and comes with yuca chips, salad, and an alarmingly coloured Inca Kola.
We started with Ceviche de Mariscos (seafood ceviche, made fresh, 'cooked' with lemon juice). It was an amazing, citrusy concoction. We never would have guessed the fish was raw. The caldo de gallina (hen soup) was a bit boring, sadly. But the Parihuela (Peruvian seafood stew) was a yummy garlicky concoction. As was the Arroz Con Pato (chicken with rice), with cilantro and other flavours.
One note: we found the pricing to be a bit high, especially for the Walworth area. We'd advise Emanuel restaurant to consider either lowering the prices. Or perhaps to offer discounts (for example, 20% off on Tues, Wed, or Thurs between 1-5pm). But the servings were large, and the food was delightful. We'll definitely come here again. Although we'll be calling ahead to order the Polla a la Brasa! read more