Pre-theatre at Lima Floral, Covent Garden

14 Garrick Street, WC2E 9BJ

Theatre and food. These are the main reasons I love living in London. And there are few things that make me happier than combining the two! It’s also a sneaky way to eat at a seemingly off-limits restaurants, as they often have set meals at a fraction of the price of their a la carte.

Last week, I put together my perfect evening with Lima Floral, followed by Dr Faustus, starring the one and only Kit Harington, of GoT fame. We even managed to catch him at the stage door afterwards, which was definitely the highlight of the evening!

When I visited Lima, the Michelin-starred mother restaurant of Lima Floral, a few years ago, I wasn’t too impressed. But Lima Floral has now twice proven to me that it is definitely the more accessible, better priced offspring (or should it be sibling?). The pre-theatre menu is an amazing deal: £17.50 for 2 courses, and just an extra £2 for dessert. And did I mention this includes a glass of wine, and on this visit, they even threw in a Pisco Sour on the house? This definitely isn’t your average snooty West End establishment…

With only 2-3 choices per course, I opted for the sweet potato starter, whilst both my companions went for salmon ceviche, but we all agreed that it had to be the lomo (beef) for our main.

Clearly, I was too hungry to concentrate on focusing my camera properly, but the complimentary breads, plus the garlicky dipping sauce, were perfect in whetting our appetites. The soft pieces of bread tore beautifully, and we nearly asked for more dip before realising we should probably curb our greed…

The salmon starter was presented stunningly, as you can see. Dotted with crunchy black quinoa, it melted in the mouth and I am salivating at the mere memory of it!

My starter was a veritable taste explosion, combining tangy flavours from the vinaigrette with the subtle sweetness of the corn. The sweet potato slices were crispier than I could ever have hoped, and my friend and I gobbled this one down with glee.

Our waitress was slightly disappointed that we all had all chosen the same main, as she thought we should have branched out. But as we took the first bite, we all instantly knew we had made the right choice. The hunks of beef were tender, the spices brought out its flavour wonderfully, and I could have licked every drop of that sauce off my plate.

We hadn’t initially committed to dessert, but the alfajores looked too inviting. “Three of them?”, our waitress Krasimira smiled knowingly. And boy, was it worth the extra £2. There’s just something about dulce de leche…

I loved Lima Floral – the service is friendly and the atmosphere inviting. The a la carte is a bit expensive, but with their amazing pre-theatre deal, and their location in the heart of Theatreland, I’m not sure I would ever venture here after 6pm!