Wandering down Frith Street in Soho last Saturday, we were looking to stop somewhere for lunch and stumbled upon Chotto Matte, a colourful, contemporary restaurant with a welcoming look about it. Stepping into the foyer that welcome was exemplified as we were warmly greeted by the manager, Pasquale Baiano, who explained that all the tables were booked, but we were welcome to sit in the bar area to eat. The service which you receive in a restaurant can make or break the experience and Pasquale's friendly attentive manner was everything one could hope for. Coupled with the flavoursome food combos and trendy ambience this made for the perfect lunch. No wonder they were fully booked. In fact, only the downstairs section was open for lunch and Pasquale explained to me that the upstairs would be open also in the evening and that they were still fully booked that night with 426 covers !
Chotto Matte specialises in Nikkei cuisine which is a fusion of Japanese and South American, in particular Peruvian, ingredients. Now, I have sampled a range of food fusions over the years, some of which were a bit strange on flavour and also spurious in their origin. Not so with Nikkei. This fusion originates from times when Japanese immigrants to Peru wanted to create their traditional food but were forced to adapt to availability of local produce. So expect the usual Peruvian ceviche ingredients of raw fresh fish with lots of lime juice and onion, Japanese sashimi with ginger and wasabi, along with more unusual vegetables like cassava, sweet potato and quinoa. Add to that barbecued Wagyu beef, sautéed fresh vegetables and Tempura prawns and you could believe you are in foodie heaven. The brainchild of restaurateur, Kurt Zdesar (formerly with Nobu), Chotto Matte has been open for just over 2 years now and is as strong as ever ( hence the booking rate ). This is undoubtedly down to Zdesar's vision but key factors are the most important qualities in any restaurant, great food and great service.
We tried the Beef Teriyaki version of La Nikkei Cascara which contained crunchy wok seasoned vegetables, brown rice and tasty succulent beef. We also ordered the Chotto Bento Box to get a good selection of the Chotto Matte classics. This included Miso soup, Padron peppers den miso, Wild Prawn Tempura, Nikkei Sashimi Salad, Sea Bass Ceviche, Sushi with toppings, Spicy Tuna and Yellowtail Roll, Black Cod ahi miso, BBQ Chicken picante and steamed rice.My favourites ? Actually it was the Beef Teriyaki Nikkei which was wholesome, full of flavour and great value at £9.95 (inc Miso Soup). A healthy guilt-free lunch as they say !
Close seconds were the Black Cod, Sea Bass Ceviche and the BBQ Chicken. But, if I am honest I loved it all.
Somewhat bizarrely the rest-room experience is becoming quite fashionable in London restaurants nowadays. Think of the view from the urinals Aqua Shard, heated and musical toilet seats in some oriental restaurants. Chotto Matte is no exception. Negotiate the darkness downstairs and you are struck (visually that is ) by the illuminated modern art wall in an otherwise darkish space with no obvious doors. Then you notice the button to press which opens a dark glass sliding door to another dark space. Sink units are flat dark discs, each with circular shaving-type mirrors above which automatically sense your presence and illuminate. It's brilliant. What more can I say..... Great food, Great Service, Great Toilets ..... Go There !
