Review: Señor Ceviche, Soho, London

London’s been having a love-in with Peruvian cuisine in the last few years and it’s easy to see why - fresh ingredients, simple, fuss-free, delicious dishes punctuated with punchy fresh flavours; what’s not to love? Soho’s Señor Ceviche is inspired by the founder's travels around Peru, showcasing the diverse flavours and cooking techniques from street food snacks and super fresh ceviches to Peruvian barbecue and healthy salads.

The Vibe
Just stepping across the threshold brings on major holiday envy; it’s got a bit of a street food shack vibe about it, all bright colours, exposed wood, simple furniture, a mish mash of quirky prints and paintings on the walls. I haven’t been to Peru but I imagine it’s a fairly genuine representation of how they'd do things in Lima. It may have opened a couple of years ago, but it’s still packing in the punters. A recent visit on a sunny Tuesday evening saw the windows thrown open to the buzzing throng of Kingly Court and a queue out the door. It’s the perfect setting for eking out those last hazy days of an Indian summer (I’m sure we still have a few to come…).

The Drinks
Don’t think about ordering anything until you’ve had a Pisco Sour, the dream accompaniment to Señor Ceviche’s spectacular menu, though admittedly the Yapa Sandia, with papaya and mango infused Macchu Pisco, lime juice and watermelon was also pretty darn good… ​

The Food
Think simple, fresh, fuss-free, flavours that pack a punch. The menu focuses on key dishes split into para picar (snacks), ceviche and tiradito, Peruvian barbecue, sides & salads and desserts. There may only be 23 items on the whole menu but it's guaranteed you’ll want to come back time and again to try them all.  

We hit up the chicharrone de calamar, crispy baby squid with pickled jalapeño mayo, followed by the ‘Clasíco’ ceviche - seam bream with ahi limo tiger’s milk, sweet potato puree, chock corn, red onion, coriander and plantain - alongside the signature ‘Señor Ceviche’ with octopus; both of which could have been four times the size and we still would have eaten the lot.

​It would have been rude not to indulge in the BBQ, so out came theft iron y uchucuta;, papaya marinated flat iron steak with uchucuta sauce, though I’m definitely going back to try the nikkei pulp Kombu grilled octopus with nikkei chimichurri and the pachamanca pork ribs - both looked divine. A side salad of tofu, black and white quinoa, edamame and grilled sweetcorn was (somewhat surprisingly for a vegan dish)  absolutely delicious - we couldn’t get enough.

A delicious antidote to five-star dining, Señor Ceviche is definitely one for a fast, fun meal with friends - I’ve already booked to go back twice since I visited a few weeks back! If you can’t make it to Lima, make the most of the fact that Lima’s been brought to London.


Our experience overall
Food and drink *****
Ambience *****
Staff attentiveness/friendliness  *****

Señor Ceviche​
Kingly Court
Soho
London
W1B 5PW

www.senor-ceviche.com

Laurel Waldron