I didn’t arrive. I materialised into a realm where neon hums and charcoal flickers blur the line between dinner and sensual spectacle. Chotto Matte is not a restaurant, it’s a show – part food, part theatre, part Eras Tour for your taste buds. Every dish gets its spotlight, every beat its cue, and the whole thing is designed to leave you dazzled and slightly unsteady.
A Menu That Doubles Down on Drama
The new menu, crafted by Executive Chef Jordan Sclare with founder Kurt Zdesar, feels like a greatest hits album with a remix twist. Old favourites are back, new arrivals are stealing scenes, and every plate is as much about performance as flavour.
I ordered the Salmon Aburi Sushi Tostadas, flamed tableside until the miso glaze caramelised into smoky sweetness. Next came the Wagyu Brioche Sliders, truffle-laced indulgence tucked into golden buns that vanished in two bites flat. The Pollo Peruano brought fire from the robata grill, smoky and sharp with coriander and pomegranate, while the crispy pork belly collapsed under its lacquer of red Anticucho sauce. Each dish felt playful, bold, and entirely unapologetic – the culinary equivalent of a spotlight drop.
Of course, the icons remain. The Acevichado roll is still a knockout – tuna, prawn tempura and ceviche crema crashing together with the confidence of a headliner.
Drinks That Push Back
The cocktail list has had its own glow-up. Forget safe classics – these drinks come dressed to impress. The Lychee Picante is essentially a tequila martini in stilettos, delicate until the spice bites back. The Paloma Negra layers mezcal and hibiscus with smoky undertones, while the Inca Collins plays it light and crisp, an easy-drinking contrast to the kitchen’s fire. Even the Apple Breeze – gin, Sauvignon Blanc, and apple – tastes like a Soho afternoon bottled.
Bar manager Enrico Bonadiman describes the list as playful, and he isn’t wrong. The drinks don’t sit quietly beside the food, they flirt, provoke, and sometimes outshine it.
Chotto Hour and The Art of Staying Put
Just when I thought Chotto Matte couldn’t turn the volume up further, I learned about Chotto Hour. Sunday to Friday, from 3–7pm, cocktails drop to £6, wine to £4, and bar snacks to £3. Forget watered-down “happy hours.” This one arrives spiked with frozen jalapeños, an upgrade to wine I didn’t know I needed.
It’s almost too easy to settle in. The walls pop with graffiti art, the sushi counter doubles as theatre, and the robata flames never stop their dance. There’s no sense of beginning or end here, just momentum.
The Savage Soho Confession
You don’t “finish” at Chotto Matte. You tap out. The food wins. The cocktails win. The atmosphere pins you to your chair until you’re half feral and fully converted. Soho has plenty of places to eat. This is one of the few where you actually live.
11 – 13 Frith St, London W1D 4RB
