Review: Nikkei cuisine at Chotto Matte, Soho

Style Points: 5/5
Price: £££
Overall: 5/5

Chotto Matte has been hailed as the place foodies go to have fun. With promises of exceptional Nikkei cuisine alongside a buzzy party atmosphere, mostly fuelled by the loud modern eclectic music, this vast three storey restaurant is a party starter.

On the ground floor is an enormous bar and dining area to the side, with a colourful mural flanking the walls and a glass front which is opened up in summer onto a lively outdoor seating area on the streets of Soho itself. The main restaurant space is upstairs and has more of an industrial look, with black walls and floors and rough-cast concrete pillars.

Would I Want Seconds?

Nikkei cuisine, originating over 100 years ago when Japanese workers immigrated to Peru and combined their cooking techniques, is at the heart of Chotto Matte. The menu here offers a spectrum of the two cuisines and as a result there is much variety on the menu.

We started our meal with spicy padron peppers, moreish sweet potato chips and canchas (corn puffs) to pick at. We then ordered a favourite of mine, the Nikkei sashimi made with yellowtail, cherry tomatoes, jalapeno, coriander and yuzu truffle soy. I also tried the sea bass ceviche served with sweet potato, Peruvian corn and a delicious zingy citrus sauce.

In our selection of warm dishes, we ordered the ebi harumaki, which was composed of ponzu salsa, prawn spring roll, shiitake, and yuzu. We also tried the Nikkei sepia Calamari and Nasu miso which was a juicy vegetarian dish made of Aubergine miso, apricot, puffed soba, sesame seeds.

Could I Afford Seconds?

Nikkei cuisine at Chotto Matte is separated into many different sections on the menu, including cold appetisers, warm appetisers, sushi, sashimi, barbeque and salads. As a result its worth ordering a couple of dishes each on a sharing basis, but this adds up significantly.

However although the a la carte menu is expensive, Chotto Matte offers a fabulous pre-theatre menu for £25 which includes a prosecco and a bento box filled with much smaller versions many of the dishes I tried, plus dessert. They also offer a ranging of sharing menus which cost between £40 to £60 and include a minimum of 8 dishes and are also great value for money.

Overall? 5/5

Nikkei cuisine is trending at the moment and I’m not surprised given its focus on exceptional quality, natural ingredients and flavours and presentation. This combined with the buzzy urban ambiance that Chotto Matte offers makes it the perfect restaurant for an upbeat gathering with great food.

The size of the venue and the menu at Chotto Matte is so large that they say it takes a few visits before you will really see everything that Chotto-Matte – meaning its worth going back to over and over again.

Website: www.chotto-matte.com
Address: 11 - 13 Frith St, Soho, London W1D 4RB
Closest Tube Station: Tottenham Court Road