Chotto Matte is a three-floor Japanese-Peruvian restaurant that opened towards the end of last year in Soho.
The slick, colourful restaurant serves its own take on Nikkei cuisine – an interesting mix of ceviche, tiraditos, gyoza and robata grill dishes. Rather than keeping the two cooking styles separate, the ingredients are woven together in the dishes, creating some unique combinations.
Chotto Matte is the latest project from Kurt Zdesar, former manager at Nobu and founder of the hugely successful Ping Pong chain. While it’s known for its barbecued meat and refreshing cocktails, Chotto Matte has just launched a new Sunday Jazz Brunch with a new menu to match.
We recently visited just after midday on Sunday when Soho felt like it was still waking up after a typical Saturday bender. People were already queuing across the road for a coveted seat at Barrafina and I couldn’t help feeling a little smug that we were already sipping drinks before they could cross through the door.
While Chotto Matte may look like a shiny night-time spot, with its sleek black interiors and anime graffiti walls, it actually works well in the light of day. It was lovely to sit near the window and do some Soho people-watching while listening to glorious live jazz from the excellent trio by the bar.
We started our brunch by ordering some juices. I enjoyed a deliciously fresh and sweet lychee juice while Steven ordered a refreshing pineapple juice. To accompany the brunch is a new selection of healthy fruit and vegetable juices and the essential brunch classic – a Bloody Mary with a twist.
For a Sunday brunch treat, I was tempted by The Chotto Breakfast (£19.50). The large breakfast came with two succulent chicken and apricot sausages, which were juicy, well-seasoned and pleasantly sweet. They were accompanied by slices of succulent but perhaps a little over-done pieces of beef fillet tataki on a bed of spicy cassava puree. The chorizo beans were tasty with thin slivers of punchy chorizo and I liked the addition of grilled flat mushrooms and colourful, fragrant vine tomatoes.
Eggs are cooked however you want them and my poached egg was perfectly cooked and garnished with crispy sage. The BBQ toast sounded interesting but was simply wholemeal toast done on the robata grill.
It’s the kind of dish that didn’t seem like it would be spicy, but I could detect a slight kick from the meats.
Steven went for the Beef Fillet Sanguche (£16.75). The enormous, crispy yet fluffy rolls were packed full of lean, spicy beef fillet marinated in spiced and cooked medium. It was complemented by a fried egg, a piquant smoked panca sauce, mushrooms, red onion and baby gem lettuce.
The hefty sandwich came with a side of thick-cut, home-made cassava fries served in a typically Japanese wooden box (usually used for Sake) with more of the smoked panca dip. They cassava fries were a welcome alternative to potato fries with a slightly earthy flavour and less oil.
Either we hadn’t worked up an appetite yet that day, or the brunch dishes were very filling, as we both couldn’t manage a dessert. I really regret this now, as the desserts sound so decadent and inventive, particularly the Pisco Baba with poached nashi pear and dulce de leche ice cream or the Brulee de la Passion – an almond pyramid with aji amarillo gel and guava sorbet.
We did finish with some lovely, uplifting fresh mint tea, with was served in an attractive Japanese pot.
I’d quite like to revisit Chotto Matte for dinner to try Nikkei cuisine in its purest form, as I can’t help thinking the Japanese element was slightly muted on the brunch menu. Some of the dishes can be a little pricey, but the surroundings are stylish and the staff were so charming and friendly.
Sunday Jazz Brunch at Chotto Matte is a great way to make the weekend last that little bit longer in Soho, particularly if you can handle a bit of spice with your eggs.
For more information and booking, visit: www.chotto-matte.com
Chérie City was invited by Chotto Matte
All photos by Chérie City
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