Chotto Matte, a vibrant Japanese restaurant, grill, and sushi bar, offers a vibrant and effervescent atmosphere in the heart of London’s trendy Soho. The restaurant is highlighted amongst others by its wild forest graffiti and exotic Tokyo modern art painted outside of the restaurant’s building.
Two hostesses usher diners to their table and help explain Chotto Matte’s special yellowtail, which melts in your mouth covered in divine truffle sauce creating a mix of taste. The center of the restaurant harbors a huge lava bar, attracting customers from all around London to come and enjoy Chotto Matte’s amazing tostadas, sushi rolls, and more.
Chotto Matte has adopted two colorful cuisines, which when combined have created a Peruvian-Nikkei. Both cuisines encompass strong and distinguished dishes. However when combined, they form an even greater food style. The chefs use the delicate and elegant touch of Japanese dishes and add it to the fresh and spicy punch of Peruvian sauces and spices to provide a tantalizing experience for their customers.
The food is a mixture of sushi, ceviche, tempura and Japanese robata grill. Amongst its signature dishes, Chotto Matte serves its delectable tostadas ranging from yellow yuzu truffle to tuna jalapeno. The restaurant also offers a variety of vegetarian dishes such as the vegetable tartar or the excellent Calabacín a la parilla. The restaurant recommends customers order as a group and try to experience all four of their cooking stations. The tostada bar also allows customers to watch Chotto Matte’s chefs make their tostadas covered in Peruvian sauces and Japanese fish.
Tostadas consist of four small slices of raw fish (yellowtail, tuna, black cod, salmon, etc), and a variety of sauces and vegetables; they cost £7.95 per plate and are usually ordered once or twice throughout the dinner. Chotto Matte’s amazing and handmade California rolls are one of the restaurant’s most popular plates and cost £8.50. The prices are quite steep; however, its divine ceviches and mouth-watering sushi rolls overcompensate for the added expenses.
During lunch hours, Chotto Matte is a calm and relaxing area to eat with friends and enjoy the occasional London sun through the open windows. The walls are covered with graffiti by the famous Japanese artist Houxo Que Filling, creating a vibrant and trendy atmosphere attracting a young and exciting crowd. The graffiti and wooden modern décor blend perfectly with the handmade Japanese plates and spicy Peruvian tostadas. Throughout lunch or dinner, kind and friendly waiters and waitresses are available, and are eager to help enhance your experience. Whether it’s providing drinks at the right time, or bringing certain meals to the table to blend tastes and let you appreciate their Peruvian-Japanese cuisine, the waiting staff is excellent to say the least.
At night, loud music and crowded bar stools dominate Chotto Matte. The evening scene is buzzing with customers who come to experience the vivacious Soho night and delve into a variety of original cocktails and tantalizing dishes. However especially during late hours throughout the weekend, Chotto Matte’s excessively loud music makes it hard to speak amongst friends, and the music is also a bit fast-tempoed and heavy and could be adjusted for a better night out with friends.
When entering Chotto Matte, the loud music may seem daunting, However, the music and echo of voices are eventually appreciated, playing a pivotal role in the vibrant atmosphere of the restaurant. Small tastes of the menu’s variety of choices also help divert from the standard three-course meal of appetizer, main course and dessert, and lead diners into a novel culture of eating, where every bite of tuna or jalapeno must be experienced to fully comprehend the Peruvian-Nikkei cuisine. Going to Chotto Matte is not only a culinary experience but also an artistic adventure where quality ingredients, splashes of color, flavor and the lively London night allow you to eat well, socialize, and appreciate weekends.
