Chotto Matte

I went for lunch at Chotto Matte with my good friend this weekend in Soho. The restaurant serves a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian food. The combination works very well. Both cultures serve delicious seafood dishes (sushi and ceviche) and great grilled meats (teriyaki and anticuchos) - and so the fusion lends itself to the two cuisines.

Bento Box

The menu is vast and comprises of a range of cold dishes, grilled meats, sushi and tostadas. The dishes are relatively small and are designed to be shared. There were so many appealing dishes that I really struggled to pick something. Fortunately the restaurant serves bento boxes, which contain a range of the most popular dishes. It is a really economical way to try lots of dishes.

When the bento box arrived, I was shocked at how much food there was, given the quality of the ingredients. I thought that I would only get one piece of each of the dishes available. The picture below shows just how much food I was served (not that I am complaining!).

Starting with the top left corner we have Lobster Tempura Huacatay and the Padron Peppers. The Tempura was incredibly light and tart sauce cut through the fat - I didn't feel the need to add more acidity with the lemon. The peppers were grilled and weren't spicy. They were generously seasoned with salt. A Den Miso sauce (mirin, sugar and miso) was a surprising addition, as it usually served with grilled aubergines, that complemented the dish really well. 

Lobster Tempura and Padron Peppers

The next part of the box contained the best ceviche I have ever had. What made this particular one better than others, was the thoughtful combination of flavours and textures. The citrus marinade was not excessively acidic, had a thick almost creamy texture and a deep umami flavour. Crunchy corn and fresh crisp red onion added another dimension of texture and flavour to the dish. Despite all of the components to the dish - the flavoursome sea bass remained the centrepiece.

Sea Bass Ceviche

The Nikkei Sashimi salad was a light and delicate dish. Sashimi purists may recoil at the use of a sauce flavoured with yuzu and fragrant truffle oil and the purple potato crisp garnish - deeming it as excessive and distracting from the fish. You have to trust me that the dish is marvellous and was quite possibly the component of the bento box. All of the flavours sat together really well and did not overpower the fish.

Yellowtail Sashimi

The next compartment contained the grilled octopus, steamed rice and vegetables. Again the food was well cooked and seasoned, the octopus had a spicy kick and the miso sauce on the charred BBQ chicken was sublime.

Grilled Octopus, BBQ Chicken and Rice.

The final part was some delicious sushi. The sushi was well formed and the fish was fresh. The traditional sushi was given the 'Chotto Matte' treatment. In this case it was a spicy dipping sauce. I was incredulous about combining such a strong creamy sauce with the delicate fish. I thoroughly enjoyed the combination. I should mention that there is soy sauce on the table for those who think that the sauce is sacrilege - although I would encourage you to try it.

Mixed Sushi

Dessert was a trio of Mochi ice-creams. The flavours were matcha, mango and yuzu. The ice-creams were smooth and I particularly liked the mango ice-cream. I didn't care for the sticky rice shell surrounding the ice-cream and wouldn't order the dish again.

Ice Cream Selection

Besides serving good food, the décor is superb. Surprisingly the bathrooms are probably the most modern and impressively designed part of the restaurant – I won’t spoil the surprise!

It will come as no surprise, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Chotto Matte and will be back. The food is all carefully considered, the atmosphere is relaxed and the staff are ever so helpful. 

Rating: 9/10

www.chotto-matte.com/
020 7042 7171
11 - 13 Frith Street, London, W1D 4RB