Peruvian pitanza comes to Soho in the form of Señor Ceviche
Recently a friend and I were lucky enough to try out the pop-up turned restaurant, Señor Ceviche and their fine Peruvian dishes. Originally a pop-up restaurant touring round London, it has now made its home in the heart of Soho. Inspired by his time working in Peru’s top ceviche restaurant, Señor Ceviche himself, Harry Edmeades, will transport hungry Londoners to the sights, sounds and tastes of the Peruvian capital. The interiors have been designed around the bohemian and artistic streets of Lima’s party district, Barranco, which is home to some of Lima’s most exciting bars and restaurants, and where Harry stayed while in Peru.
As you enter the restaurant, in the very impressive Kingly Court, you soon realise that the restaurant hasn’t lost its edge. With a truly Spanish downtown feel, you are transported to the mean backstreets of Lima (where we all know, the truly good food is). We were seated by the brightly and bubbly, Ariana who truly added to the Hispanic experience, serving us with the perfect balance of attentiveness and yet not too attending.
We soon had a chance to look over the mouth-watering menu but our eyes were naturally drawn to the cocktails and we were not disappointed. We enjoyed Miraflores, Ayahuasca, Señor’s Frozen Sour and Mamaquilla; the perfect accompaniments to a truly tasteful meal. So onto the best bit, alongside the numerous amounts of cocktails, we were delighted to be presented with various dishes. We chose Chifa Chicharonnes (slow cooked, crispy pork belly with sweet soy sauce), The Spaniard (sea bream & king prawn ceviche with tomato tiger’s milk & crispy chorizo), Tamarind BBQ Chicken Anticuchos (chicken skewers with sticky tamarind BBQ sauce & aji amarillo anticucho sauce) and the best-selling Super Chicken (marinated & chargrilled chicken served with aji rocotto mayonnaise) as well as Patatas Fritas with Huancaina & Tomato Fondue (skin on fries covered in spicy Peruvian cheese sauce & tomato fondue) and Cusco Quinoa (roasted vegetables, edamame beans, giant choclo corn & crumbly queso). Now that may sound like a lot of food and yes, it was. But we were so happy. I’m an incredibly slow eater so the opportunity to go through these delicious dishes at my own pace was perfect and by the end, I was rightly stuffed (although I did enjoy their brownie and coconut ice cream).
Founded in 2012 by Harry, the roots of Señor Ceviche lie in pop-up innovation; just five ceviche dishes and his now-signature Pisco Sour featured on the original menu for a one-off fusion of art and cuisine at The Art Cellar, and saw other takeovers at The Doodle Bar and Dukebox. Since then, Harry has continued his culinary journey, spending extensive time in Peru to bring new flavours and tastes to Señor Ceviche’s experimental menu. As well as working in some of the Lima’s top restaurants with Peru’s most acclaimed chefs, Harry has worked tirelessly to source the very best of Peruvian produce. Through meeting with an array of chilli farmers to pisco producers across Peru, Harry ensures Señor Ceviche will serve authentic dishes made from the highest quality and freshest Peruvian ingredients.
Overall opinion:
The whole experience was amazing; the food, drinks and staff were incredible. The dishes are served in a tapas style, so if you like that style of dining where ‘sharing is caring’ (and who doesn’t to be honest) and you don’t mind the dishes arriving as soon as they’re cooked, you’re going to love Señor Ceviche. The restaurant that celebrates the vibrancy of Peruvian culture with authentic Chicha street art adorning the walls including posters commissioned exclusively for Señor Ceviche. It is a restaurant that I will definitely be returning to and that I would definitely recommend.
REVIEWED BY: Matt Peake
ADDRESS: 1st Floor, Kingly Court. London, W1B 5PW
VENUE PHONE: 0207 842 8540
WEBSITE: http://senor-ceviche.com/
RATING: ★★★★★ (explained)
PRICE: ££ (explained)
TIPPING POLICY: Optional Service Charge
