Ceviche, Soho

Peruvian cuisine may not be an immediate thought on one’s mind when heading out for a night on the town, but if Soho’s Ceviche is anything to go by, it should be.

Named after the Peruvian classic dish of the same name, Ceviche houses a friendly and vibrant atmosphere, with the choice to either dine while sitting on a bar stool at the long chef’s counter, or venture further into the restaurant proper, where you’ll find dark wooden tables offset against light blue paintwork, quirky pictures and jars of interesting looking produce scaling the walls.

The menu is of course mostly centred around the infamous ceviche dish – a simple and fresh fish (or sometimes vegetables) ‘cooked’ in lime juice. The Peruvians call the resulting lime, chilli and fish sauce leche de tigre a.k.a ‘tiger’s milk’, something which you will see adorning the menu in abundance. I have been told it can even be served as a standalone drink, with a potent effect that will invigorate a gentleman’s, well, ‘inner tiger’, shall we say.

For around £7 -11, you can enjoy a range of ceviche dishes that combine different fishies (seabass, salmon, mussels, prawns, scallops and octopus) alongside other flavours (e.g. wasabi, onion, samphire, sweet potato, chicolo corn, pomegranate), resulting in a real Peruvian smorgasbord of variety. Frankly, I love the stuff, and having tried it in a number of places both home and abroad, this Soho resident certainly does it justice.

Stepping away from the signature dish, there is still plenty to praise on the menu. Nibbles and sides include moreish plantain chips (£2.5) and the excellent causa santa rosa (£5) – a vibrant and colourful layering of pink beetroot salad on a cool green coriander potato cake.

Grilled skewers also feature heavily, with options such as tender beef and corn, chicken and beetroot, and salmon and cucumber all up for grabs for £8 or less. The best though is the octopus and chorizo skewer, absolutely bursting with flavour, and served with a delicious samphire and black quinoa salad. A little steep at £11, but your tastebuds will thank you.

Although I haven’t gotten round to them, the menu also features ‘classic’ main course dishes (£5-13) such as corn cakes, deep-fried fish and confit of duck, and four desserts (chocolate and orange mousse, fruit cheesecake, fresh pineapple or cinnamon and pisco sponge), all for about a fiver.

To wash down all these tasty morsels, you could opt for wine or Peruvian beer, but that would be to not take advantage of Europe’s (apparently) first dedicated Pisco bar – celebrating the grape brandy synonymous with the region. Alongside the standard Pisco Sour cocktail (lime, sugar, egg white and bitters), other pisco-packed variations incorporate anything from fruity twists (passion fruit, pineapple, orange etc) to coffee, lavender and ginger, all for about £7-8.

With all of this in mind, Ceviche – both venue and dish – has now become a Peruvian staple in my London dining calendar.

Ceviche
17 Frith St
Soho
W1D 4RG

Tel: 020 7292 2040

Image by Paul Winch-Furness