Trad Peruvian food hits town

The husband-and-wife team running this place certainly tries hard to enlighten the customers, and bring a little downtown Lima to London Bridge.

With its fresh cream-, gold- and coffee-coloured interior, Fina Estampa has a warm and bright ambience and upbeat music, and the attentive, friendly staff add greatly to this vibe.

The menu is traditional Peruvian, which means there's a great emphasis placed upon seafood.

This is reflected in the starters, with such offerings as chupe de camarones, a succulent shrimp-based soup; cebiche, a dish of marinated white fish served with sweet potatoes; and jalea, a vast plate of fried seafood.

Ask for the salsa criolla - its hot oiliness is a perfect accompaniment.

There is also causa rellena, described as a 'potato surprise' and it is exactly that: layers of cold mashed potato, avocado and tuna fish served with salsa - the surprise being how something so straightforward can taste so good.

Main courses - the fragrant chicken seco, chicken cooked in a coriander sauce, or the superb lomo saltado, tender strips of rump steak stir-fried with red onions and tomatoes - are worthy ambassadors for this simple yet distinctive cuisine.

Perhaps most distinctive of all is the carapulcra, a spicy dish made of dried potatoes, pork, chicken and cassava - top choice for anyone seeking a new culinary adventure.