Everyday, Restaurants, £, ££

Perfect Peruvian food at Señor Ceviche in Soho

June 21, 2016

As we walked down the narrow streets of Soho, people spilled out onto the pavements from the crowded bars, shops were packed with bargain-hunters during the summer sales and restaurant terraces were busy on a pleasant, though slightly chilly day. But we had one destination in mind as we rounded the corner and into Kingly Court…
Mr S was instantly surprised; spoilt for choice with cool restaurants and surrounded by sexy bars and creative cafes. It was his first time visiting the three level open piazza, with twenty-one different dining destinations and encompassing food from across the globe.
But today we would be having a taste of South America with Peruvian food from Señor Ceviche. I’d visited the restaurant last year but I was keen to return to try a few of the new menu items plus introduce Mr S to this lovely little place.
We settled down with our cocktails and I chose a South Pacific Spritz with Machu Pisco, aperol, goji liquor and prosecco, sort of the Peruvian version of an aperol spritz, it was deliciously refreshing. Mr S went for the signature Peruvian cocktail, a Pisco Sour but with a twist of pineapple to sweeten it up.
We both loved the party atmosphere of the place which was packed full of people, with an open kitchen and lively staff behind the bar.
With neon street art, shabby chic wooden walls and a colourful tiled floor, the interior evokes a typical bar in Lima’s party district, Barranco.
The main menu is divided into three parts starting with para picar which roughly translates as snacks. I loved the crisp calamari with jalapeno mayo as the coating of batter wasn’t too heavy and the flavours of the fish were well complimented with a good squeeze of lime, some spicy chilli and raw onion. The chifa chicharrones, crispy pork belly with sweet soy sauce, is the most popular dish on the menu and Mr S loved the juicy cubes of rich meat.
The next section of the menu is the ceviche, one of the national dishes of Peru, the cured fish is such a strong part of the country’s heritage that there is even a holiday celebrating it. Though ceviche is usually raw fish marinated in citrus juices, Señor Ceviche presents other alternatives too such grilled Jerusalem artichoke and samphire marinated with tiger’s milk and confit tomatoes. We both loved this twist on the original especially the deep-fried artichoke that topped the piquant heap of samphire, swimming in its delicious marinade.
We tried two of the fish ceviches: The Spaniard ceviche combined sweet slices of sea bream with king prawns in a tomato and aji rocotto tiger’s milk. We loved the deep hit of spice and tangy flavour from the crispy chorizo as well as the crisp plaintain on the side. Another of the restaurant’s signature dishes is the Señor Ceviche which is a classic concoction of sea bream and octopus with aji amarillo tiger’s milk, sweet potato puree, avocado, coriander, red onion and crispy squid. I absolutely love tiger’s milk which is the name for the marinade that cures the seafood. It’s actually often drunk separately as it an aphrodisiac and is also known as Peruvian viagra!
Moving on to the next section of the menu it was time to sample some Peruvian barbecue. The nikkei pulpo with chimichurri is new on the menu and the octopus itself is beautifully cooked with a delicious charcoal finish. However, I found the accompanying sweet potato causa a little too sweet and I wasn’t fan of the texture.
Mr S love his Pachamanca pork ribs with a slightly sweet sticky sauce and peanuts as the meat just fell right off the bone.
And if you’re coming to Señor Ceviche, you literally have to get the sweet potato fries, trust me, you’ll thank me if you do, they’re the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had!
Dessert time! We went ahead and ordered an espresso martini with a Peruvian twist to accompany the sweet course!
The Dulce de leche ice cream with Cusco caramel and pecan was far too sweet for me, and the only dish of the day that I wasn’t so keen on. Better was the passion fruit and white chocolate cheesecake as the sweetness was undercut but the slightly tart flavours of the fruit. It was fantastic paired with our post lunch cocktail.

I really couldn’t recommend Señor Ceviche enough, it’s a very easy and casual place to pop into while shopping around Soho but the casual interior belies really sensational food.

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