Last Sunday, as we left a sun-soaked Green Park to descend down Coya’s wooden stairwell, we embarked on the surreal experience of abandoning midday in London to enter midnight in Lima. The chattering of large groups of decidedly merry brunchers coincided with a thumping soundtrack in the low-lit venue, creating a captivating atmosphere as we were led to our table.
Making our way past three different dining enclaves, each situated next to an open kitchen, we passed Aztec art alongside postmodern portraits of Beyoncé, clasping a gun donning a Freda Kahlo brow. This is the restaurant’s flagship venue, that has since acquired siblings in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Miami. Famed for its Peruvian inspired décor the Mayfair venue seems to be sticking to its brief with Peruvian-patterned cushions and artefacts tactfully cluttered around the place.
As we nestled into our velvet chairs we opt for a Cerveza Alhambra, a Spanish lager, golden amber in colour, refreshing and character-filled served in a half pint – thankfully considering it is 6.4%. From here, the brunch tasting menu entailed that we have two decisions to make; which main, from the selection of eight would we like and which bottomless beverage would we rather, a Pisco Mary, rosé or champagne.
With the hard part over, the procession of courses trickled in, beginning with a trio of palm-sized bowls of ceviche. The highlight came from the tender chunks of diced sea bass wallowing in a salty broth, stabilised with zingy punches of lime. With the addition of coriander specks, thumbnail-sized corn kernels, carrots and topped with delicate slithers of red onion, it was a finely tuned take on the Peruvian classic.
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This said, the mixed seafood and kingfish tiradito, saw four curled slices of raw kingfish placed around a huddle of shiitake mushrooms in a lightly spiced, air-light creamy sauce. Both stood their ground as the emphasis on the Japanese twist to Peruvian cuisine came to the fore.
This Japo-Peruvian fusion or Nikkei, is a century-old cooking style originating in Peru courtesy of the waves of Japanese migrants who now call the South American state home. Through similarities in the two cuisines, most notably, the emphasis on raw fish, the culinary pairing has gained popularity throughout London and Europe in recent years.
The combination resurged as the starters continued: plump edamame came dowsed in aji amarillo – a Peruvian pepper paste – while two teaspoons of chicharron (slow-roasted pulled pork) were infused with smoked chilli and salsa, served in individual mini bao buns. The constant stream of precisely prepared plates, each bursting with complexity and finesse continued as a pomegranate-studded bowl of quinoa – an Andean plant – arrived, every fluffy grain came coated in a rich tamarind sauce.
For mains we opted for the tiger prawn, a single hefty langoustine, topped with a minutely diced chilli salsa. The succulent flesh plucked effortlessly from the shell with the press of a fork, as a ripe peach from its pip, naturally divided into bite-sized chunks in accordance with the divisions of the shell. And accompanying braised lemon further animated the dish.
We also went for the baby back ribs, slightly scrawny and a touch overdone, resuscitated though, by the moreish tamarind glaze that enveloped them with a medley of cashews, spirals of spring onions and twists of chilli. Mains were accompanied by a lightly dressed, charred broccolini and a couple of slightly skewered corn-on-the-cob, which turned out to be a lot tastier than they looked.
As we finished our mains and the Sunday brunch hours drew to a close, revellers from varying corners of the restaurant, each doused with that bottomless buzz, began to burst into birthday serenades.
A trio of vibrant desserts arrived as the singing continued. Clusters of caramelized popcorn were scattered around a chalky chocolate brownie, adorned with dollops of caramel mousse, fresh raspberries and a sharp, refreshing sorbet. There was also a miniature pot of the cherry-infused Peruvian classic, chica morada, and a rectangle of wispy lemon and passionfruit cheesecake tiered upon a crunchy coconut base.
As we nibbled our way through our final morsels, yet another birthday ballad broke out, the merriment welding with the cool mystique of the atmospheric venue. While the bottomless alcohol provides an obvious lure to large groups, the attention to detail in the food and the quality of the service does not subside.
As we wandered up the staircase it took a good few minutes to reconfigure that an afternoon awaits in London, rather than the early hours of a morning in Lima.
COYA Mayfair, 118 Piccadilly, W1J 7NW. Brunch in Sat & Sun 12pm-3pm and costs £36 or £46, depending on main. Bottomless Pisco Mary £20 extra, Champagne is £30.
