For my birthday, the girls and I went to Chotto Matte in Soho.
Blending Peruvian and Nikkei Japanese cuisines I’d been dead keen to go for absolutely ages, and intrigued by what the food may be like. A month later this restaurant is fast becoming one of my West End favourites. Ex-Nobu owner Kurt Zdesar opened it last year and the food and decor are fresh, exciting and quirky. Graffiti-clad walls, a relaxed atmosphere; it’s fun, it’s edgy, it’s different and I’m fast falling in love with it!
The first time I visited Chotto Matte, there were six of us and we tried lots and lots and lots of dishes…eyes ever hungrier than stomachs! We ate nasu miso, tataki, tostaditas, grilled meats with gorgeous sauces, cassava chips, nikkei gyoza, dumplings, the amazing plump Peruvian corn and even salads. All washed down with plenty of sparkling rosé and super yummy cocktails. I did, however, leave my camera home and this is all the iPhones captured between us.
It was a really lovely birthday, with my closest girlfriends, we ate loads before scooting ourselves into the city. After all that food and cheeky cocktails, it was time for some dancing!
…and Last Friday night I ended up at Chotto Matte again, for a delicious night of catch ups with another wonderful old friend!
We started with some Beaujolais and the Aburi sushi… Sesame aubergine, tuna, yellowfish and salmon, all theatrically flamed at the table!
The Nikkei Gyoza, deliciously delicate little parcels of spiced pork and prawn, against a butternut squash and garlic purée… You’ve got to order these!
Nasu Miso, sweet and salty toasty aubergine, sauteed with soba and apricots. It’s a combination I wouldn’t usually have put together but it works incredibly well.
I totally couldn’t resist ordering the cassava wedges again, perfectly crispy and moreish, with coarse salt and a rich dipping sauce.
We then had the Pollo peruano, cooked on the barbecue it’s a real babe of a dish! Tender pieces of chicken with coriander and pomegranate and corn puffs. So good!
I could eat some more now.
Now in the words of Rizzle Kicks, let’s skip to the good bit! Both Shreena and I are absolute dessert fiends. Chotto Matte had us wide-eyed impressed.
The desserts are frankly ridiculously good…
Shreena and I shared two desserts, resulting in silence followed by “Oh my god… this is sooo good” and fights for the last spoonful.
The chocolate fondant is the most divine chocolatey concoction I’ve ever had the pleasure to eat, and pretty as can be!
Oozing with salted caramel and chocolate, paired with gloriously creamy vanilla ice cream and a zesty compote. Dreamy. This really is a dessert of the gods, one of the best puddings I’ve had in ages, and I scoffed far more than my fair share.
And an amazing brûlée de la pasión, it was perfect after that rich chocolate. You crack through that sweet sharp glass-like top to reach the creamiest zingy passion fruit beauty underneath..served with yummy cake-like pyramids and a berry sorbet. Both delicious and beautiful in equal measures.
What a thing of beauty!
The venue itself is pretty special; it’s vibrant, packed with colour and pretty huge for a venue in Soho!
I highly recommend Chotto Matte! It’s well worth a visit if you fancy something a bit different and a bit special!
Give it a go and do let me know what you think of it 🙂
Chotto Matte is at 11-13 Frith Street (on the corner by Bateman Street), Soho, W1D 4RB
Check out the website here.