Ceviche
Peruvian 17 Frith Street, Soho, W1D 4RG ££
Ceviche Soho was the first establishment opened by Ceviche group. They now have another Ceviche branch in Old Street, as well as 3 sister Andina restaurants and a Bakery spread around the capital. Specialising in Peruvian cuisine, its special is in the name: the delicious raw fish dish, cured in lime juice and spiced with chilli.
Four of us decided to visit Ceviche one hump day to celebrate the midweek milestone and the impending weekend. Ceviche group has been long on my list to try ever since I saw a stellar review for restaurant Casita Andina in Time Out a year or so ago. However, since the Soho branch was much more convenient in terms of work location, as well as being where the magic began, we decided to opt for this venue.
Ceviche was smaller than I expected, and much darker. The Google Business description claims it is “a bright dining room”, and the images online make it appear so also. The setting was actually much more cosy and intimate, if a little claustrophobic and loud. The South American staff are all very informative and friendly: they explain the menu well without pushing you to order a million dishes – so often a danger with any small plate sharesy place!
We got a couple of Cocktails to start, including the recommended classic Pisco Sour (£8) and the Chicha Chilcano: basically a pisco where the bitters and egg are replaced with rum and gingerella (£8), before moving onto the very pleasant house red wine (£5.5). The food was split into ‘Small Plates’ and ‘Big Plates’, and we were advised that sharing was compulsory, with the small plate dishes being suitable for two people.
We ordered some Cancha crunchy corn (£2.5) to snack on, as well as Corn Fritters (£4), Pork wonton rolls (£4.5), Don Ceviche (£9) and the Fried Yuca (£4.5). Highlights were the Pork wonton’s – which handily came in 4 a portion, with melt in your mouth tender pulled pork filling and perfectly crisp wonton shell, and the fried yuca which was much crispier than your average chip. Whilst the Ceviche was delicious, the portion size for £9 was slightly disappointing, allowing us all no more than a forkful taster. The big plates we ordered were the Marinated beef fillet with ‘proper chips’ (£18), and the Grilled octopus with chorizo (£18). Both of these were mouth wateringly fabulous, with the marinated beef being flavourful, tender, rare and stealing the limelight of the whole evening.
Whilst Ceviche’s food is undoubtedly delicious, the portion sizes are pretty small. This means that food which at first appears reasonably priced soon racks up into a pretty hefty bill. After the above orders, I admittedly could have eaten more – so we re-ordered some crunchy corn which had never actually arrived. Must try’s include the pork wontons, yuca fries and beef fillet, but everything was pretty delicious. Overall, Ceviche will not disappoint you with taste, but if you're pockets only half open you may leave still feeling a tad peckish…
(images are not my own due to dark lighting and the fact I forgot my camera)
OVERALL RATING: ****
https://www.cevichefamily.com/ceviche/ceviche-soho
