Chotto Matte is an awesome Japanese Peruvian fusion restaurant in the heart of Soho. I very rarely use the word “awesome” and just as rarely begin a review so forthrightly, but we love Chotto Matte. We’ve loved Chotto Matte for years, as you can see in our May 2016 Chotto Matte review (our second ever). We’ve decided to review one old favourite each month, and there’s no better place to start than Chotto Matte. 

Chotto Matte is the quintessential Soho restaurant in regards to its décor; it’s dark, but also arty and colourful in parts. It’s uniquely beautiful and very vibrant. The service was solid too. It wasn’t as prompt as usual, but just as friendly as ever. Now, the food…

Nibbles

The best padron peppers in London. Really juicy, spicy, and sweet from miso. 

Sushi

Excellent. Simply, excellent. Every piece was scrumptious, and you really don’t need the soy sauce or wasabi. 

Tempura

It was good, but we’ve had better. It had a good texture – crunchy outside and soft inside – but the batter lacked seasoning. 

This actually had less flavour, and it wasn’t helped by the huacatay or the butter ponzu. A sauce with a bit of heat would’ve been better. 

Sautée

I really enjoyed this. The beef was incredibly tender and teriyaki was rich. Randomly, I enjoyed the purple potato purée as well, and I don’t do potatoes 😁. 

We weren’t fans. The texture wasn’t right for us and it was a tad too sweet. 

From the Robata Grill

One of our favourite chicken dishes ever. Succulent chicken thighs perfectly seasoned with miso and a good amount of heat from the yellow chilli salsa. 

Fabulous chops. Absolutely tender and every inch is jam-packed with intense flavour. 

Simply amazing. Grilled to the perfect texture, which is just a tad tough on the outside and smooth and meaty inside. The seasoning is fantastic too; well spicy.

Dessert

This was a revelation. All the desserts we wanted were sold out and the waiter suggested this. We weren’t really sure because we’ve never been interested in key lime pie, but went with it anyway. With limited expectations we had the first spoonful and were blown away. It’s essentially a really good lime infused cheesecake, elevated by the sweet cinnamon crumble and light meringue. 

Verdict

We really enjoyed Chotto Matte, which ought to be fairly obvious at this point 😁. The atmosphere is vibrant, the service is solid, and the food is mostly superb. We recommend for a date that’s somewhere between casual and romantic, a slightly lavish catchup with friends, and certain special occasions. Chotto Matte is expensive, so do consider that. 

Cuisine: Japanese Peruvian Fusion
Dress Code: Smart Casual
Shiima’s Star Dish: Pollo den miso
Amen’s Star Dish: Tentaculos de pulpo
Price: Over £50pp
Rating: 5 out of 5

Chotto Matte
11-13 Frith Street
London W1D 4RB
Reserve at OpenTable,
Or call 020 7042 7171