El Inca Plebeyo, London

There is an unassuming restaurant that I almost certainly would have walked past had it not been recommended by a friend. Nestled halfway up Essex Road, it specialises in Ecuadorian food.

The first time I visited was something of a revelation. Around ten of us filled the back half of the restaurant, ordering generously across the menu and passing dishes around the table. It was the ceviches that stopped me in my tracks. Bright, sweet, sour and unexpectedly delicate, each dish arrived in colourful combinations of fish, citrus, and herbs that felt entirely new to me. We kept ordering more and more to the table. Perhaps this simply revealed my own ignorance of Ecuadorian cuisine but that only made the discovery all the more thrilling.

It is difficult to go wrong with the menu here. On a later visit we ordered perfectly grilled scallops served with a silky parsnip mash, a dish that balanced sweetness and richness beautifully.

But the real reason I find myself returning is the pearl barley and lamb risotto. Ordinarily, pearl barley is not something I would rush to order first. Yet in the spirit of drama, I will say this: it may well be one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. The lamb is deeply savoury, the barley rich and comforting, every spoonful incredible. I was so taken with it that I persuaded my partner to travel over an hour across London just so I could eat it again a few weeks later.

Sometimes the most memorable meals are not found in grand dining rooms or famous restaurants, but in small places you might never have noticed. El Inca Plebeyo is one of those places.