Peruvian chef and restaurateur Martin Morales is adding a third restaurant, Ceviche Old St, to his portfolio.
The restaurant and bar, sister to Ceviche in Soho and Andina in Shoreditch, opens in March 2015 on the ground floor of the historic Alexandra Trust Dining Rooms in East London.
It will comprise a 130 cover space, including a 70 cover fining room with a dedicated cerviche bar, Peruvian rotisserie and open grill, and a 60 cover bar area.
The team at the restaurant consists of a collection of Peruvian-trained chefs who between them have experience working in Lima restaurants such as Amaz, Astried & Gaston and Central as well as London restaurants like Ottolenghi and Barrafina.
Ceviche Old St’s menu will be inspired by Martin’s travels, consisting of dishes from Peru’s Chifa (Peruvian-Chinese) and Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) gastronomy, Criollo and Afro-Peruvian dishes as well as the Amazonian and Andean superfoods Martin is famous for. The restaurant will also be influenced by the Victorian surroundings of the Dining Rooms, with Martin adding creative
interpretations to Victorian classics, as well as 19th century Peruvian recipes.
At the ceviche bar, diners will be able to watch the ceviches made in front of them and be able to customise their own dishes. The BBQ grill will serve food like anticucho skewers with various meats and sauces, as well as Pollo a la brasa – rotisserie chicken with Ceviche’s own marinade. Also featuring will be salads and bar snacks using seasonal British vegetables and Peruvian superfoods such as maca, quinoa, amaranth and lucuma. In addition, a takeaway menu and local delivery service will be available.
For drinks, the 60-cover bar will offer Peruvian piscos, pisco cocktails, including the signature Pisco Sour alongside the usual classics with pisco substituting the usual spirits. Completing the selection will be British and Latin American craft beers, on tap where possible.
Martin and the award-winning Fabled Studio have collaborated on Ceviche Old St’s design, which is focused on restoring the original Victorian architecture alongside same-era Peruvian aesthetics. Dark redwood panelling will be used to create the bar and counters, while the original tiling and brickwork will remain throughout the restaurant space.
Martin said he is thrilled to be bringing a dining legacy back to life with the new restaurant: “I am very proud of my team and what we have achieved at Ceviche Soho and Andina in Shoreditch and hope both locals and visitors to Old Street will embrace our partnering of British and Peruvian heritage and modernity at Ceviche Old St.”
Ceviche, Old Street opens in March 2015 at the Alexandra Trust Dining Rooms on London’s Old Street. Keep an eye on www.cevicheuk.com or follow @CevicheUK on Twitter for more details.
