Ceviche – hit and miss in Soho

Sea bream ceviche at Ceviche

To try and understand this further, I did some research at Señor Ceviche, Lima Floral, and now Ceviche. I’ll focus on the last one in this post, mainly because I didn’t take photos or notes of the other two…

Tuna ceviche

It was a beautiful day and earlier that morning, I had taken the boat down the river for the first time (using my Oyster!), and so I was certainly in the mood for some great food.

We started with a round of cocktails, and my Shark Ahoy! was a sight to behold. Blue tea foam was something I’d never seen before, and whilst it turned out to be more aesthetic than flavourful, it was nonetheless a great cocktail. I definitely preferred my second one, although for the life of me I can’t remember which one it was. I think it had passionfruit in it…

Blue tea foam

Luckily, the colleagues I was dining with were all up for sharing and so we ordered a selection of nearly everything. The ceviche, unfortunately, wasn’t as good as the ones I had at Lima, Señor Ceviche, or even Sushisamba, but I have also since learned that the acidity of this dish isn’t one I’m overly fond of, so that might be part of it.

Scallop ceviche – beautifully presented with crispy kale

The lomo saltado – essentially beef fillet in gravy – was fantastic, although it didn’t quite feel Peruvian. The flavours were almost American, but I’m not complaining… it was some of the most tender and delicious beef I’ve ever had!

Lomo saltado

But the cream of the crop was most definitely the dessert. The Chocolatozo was a chocolate and dulce de leche explosion of amazingness! Add the ‘quinoa crunch’ on the side and you get potentially the best dessert I’ve ever eaten. Unfortunately, the day’s special, a white chocolate and berry parfait, was a bit disappointing – we should have ordered two Chocolatozos…

Chocolatozo – the WINNER of the night

Other dishes, which were good but not worth raving about, were the causa nikkei (a sushi-esque tuna roll), the beef heart (scary at first, but then just beef that wasn’t quite as good as the lomo saltado), and the choripulpo (chorizo and octopus skewers).

Anticucho de Corazón – beef heart

So all in all, what’s my verdict? I certainly enjoyed the meal at Ceviche, but there were many dishes I preferred at Señor Ceviche and even Lima Floral. As we ordered a large number of different things, it felt a little hit and miss as some dishes bowled me over, and others left me feeling a bit… meh. Having said that, the atmosphere was light and friendly, there were some definite winners in there (the lomo saltado and chocolatozo), and the prices are reasonable considering the location and food quality. I’ll give it 6/10, but would be intrigued to go back and try some of the dishes we didn’t manage to order this time!