Señor Ceviche Fitzrovia - Removed from website August 2021 (closed) - Fitzrovia, London

When Señor Ceviche first began to make the rounds at food festivals across the capital, Peruvian cuisine wasn't really a part of the city's culinary lexicon. When they opened their first permanent location on Kingly Court, the trend had caught fire, not to mention interminable queues. These days Peruvian is rather grown up, and Señor Ceviche's newest spot on Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia reflects that. However, it still cleaves to its fun-loving South American spirit. 

On a Thursday night said spirit was on full display. The three-level space was humming like a buzzsaw and absolutely packed, with a smattering of emerald green tables spread throughout, a little tiny terrace opening onto the streets, a mezzanine area with foliage spread throughout, art deco brass furnishings and even a secret cocktail bar tucked in below. Suffice to say, it's well-suited for a knees-up. 

As is the kitchenwork. We were struck from the outset by the high-quality of the cuisine as evidenced in the Chifa (Chinese-Peruvian) chicharrones - small square bites of crispy pork belly that ignited under tooth, dressed in a smoky sweet soy sauce. These found a nice complement in the Pachamama pork ribs. More in the vein of Nikkei (Japanese-Peruvian), the baby back ribs were pimped out with a sticky yakiniku and roasted peanuts and fell straight off the bone. 

Strangely for us, we opted for only one ceviche - barbecued Jerusalem artichoke with fennel, confit tomato, aji Amarillo tiger's milk and crunch corn cracker. They were given an added hit of seaside salt with a sprinkling of samphire. A papaya-marinated flatiron steak with pickled shiitake mushroom was sliced tagliata-style and served with and uchucuta sauce that really teased out the depth of the beef. This wouldn't have been complete without some fries, and the sweet patata fritas with aji rocotto mayonnaise fit the bill with aplomb. 

A lot of restaurants disappoint when they flex their muscles and open a second outpost. Señor Ceviche isn't one of them.