Chicama brings the vibrant flavours of Peru and Cornwall to Chelsea
Chicama, a new restaurant to Chelsea, marries the vibrant flavours of Peru with the fresh catches of Cornwall.
From the founders of Pachamama, Chicama‘s take on the best of Peruvian cuisine follows a no meat approach. Dedicated carnivores must challenge themselves by visiting here. The boundary-pushing dishes of head chef Erred Nathaniel, previously of Viajante, are versatile and unique enough to warrant attention. A small plates menu features Seabass ceviche with coconut yuzu, cucumber, samphire & radish, and Scallops with charred mushroom ‘steak’, apple miso and plantain.
The restaurant has been designed with sharing in mind, where a number of small plates may replace a main dish.
But stand-alone ‘daily catch’ dishes are available too, directly from Cornwall. Grilled plates rotate, but catches include Monkfish tail and lemon sole, served in lobster oil chimichurri or fermented sweet potato sauce, and daily catches are cooked over a robata grill. Excitingly for London, Peruvian food is enjoying a buoyant heyday in the capital with Lima, Ceviche and Andina all flying the flag for the country’s cuisine.
As well as an abundance of fish, there is a varied range of vegetable dishes, featuring lots of chilli and lime. The BBQ baby beets, choclo and Japanese pear salad is an early hit.
Chicama King’s Road also features an outdoor terrace, for lingering in the Chelsea sun. And no fish dish is complete without a cocktail or two. Cocktails are based on the smoky tones of Mezcal, Japanese Whiskey, Sake and a heavy dose of Pisco. Then, don’t skimp on dessert. Sweets such as Banana and yuzu ice cream, and torched meringue and coconut are theatrically laid out on the plate. Chelsea, Peru and Cornwall no longer feel worlds apart