The second London branch from Kurt Zdesar (who also has openings in Miami and Toronto), Chotto Matte Marylebone is sure to offer the same delights as the first. The cuisine here is Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian), which features flavours and techniques from both. Fresh fish and seasonal ingredients, are common to both countries. Nikkei blends both, combining Japanese techniques (like quickly marinating fish in acid rather than for longer) with Peruvian flavours like corn, sweet potato and rocoto chillis.
The Soho menu showcases how varied and interesting Nikkei cuisine can be. Smaller options see Padron peppers in miso, and edamame in rocoto chilli dressing, as well as colourful tostada chips with guac. Sushi nibbles are luxury cuts: o-toro tuna belly or A5 wagyu sirloin, each served with foie gras, flamed at the table. Moving to the larger appetisers, there are Peruvian-style gyoza, featuring pork and prawn, but with sweet potato purée and red pepper ponzu, as well as spicy tuna crispy rice and jungle salad with green papaya, daikon, pomegranate and cashew. There is a wide range of sushi dishes, including salmon, tuna and warm beef. No Japanese-style menu would be complete without some tempura, and here there is everything from snow crab croquettes to spicy chicken karaage. The Robata grill turns out delights like cauliflower wings, king oyster mushroom tostadas and charcoal roasted sweet potato for veggies, and the likes of octopus, pork belly, miso chicken and slow-cooked beef.
Desserts offer fruity concoctions like Mochi ice cream with mango, coconut and green tea, caramelised banana with white chocolate soil or an exotic fruit platter to share. The drinks menu offers a huge range of cocktails from a range of different influences, including a Nikkei Negroni or Lima Old-Fashioned, featuring spirits like the Peruvian pizco and Japanese Gin. There are also some non-alcoholic options, aperitifs and digestifs.