Our founder Martin just got back from a very fruitful visit to Lima, where he was spreading the word about Ceviche!
He ate great food, met great people including some great contemporary artists who are really making waves in the Peruvian art scene and who are very supportive of our endeavour… In the coming weeks we’ll be introducing you to some of these amazing artists and their work!
So check back with us soon, and remember Ceviche opens in March!
Dear Cevicheros,
Firstly I want to thank you for your continued support. We’ve come a long way in the past year and it is now starting to really take shape - we’ve finally got the keys to our new Home! When you are next in Soho check out 17 Frith Street and you’ll see our temporary sign and some messages from me, our Head Chef Ale and our Restaurant Manager Raquel. Needless to say we are extremely excited.
“Aqui vive CEVICHE. Esta es tu casa.”
From the beginning of March next year we hope you can join us in our new home. CEVICHE will be bringing a taste of Lima to Soho, together with it’s sound, colour and attitude. But most importantly we will be serving the best ceviche you can find this side of anywhere coupled with what we hope will become your new favourite drink - the Pisco Sour.
We will also be serving Anticuchos, Lomo Saltado, Arroz con Pato, Causas, Tiraditos, Choros a la chalaca and Suspiro a la Limena. We think you will love them!
We recently sent out a message to the press telling them about this big step for our restaurant. If you are interested then check it out here or have a look at how the press have interpreted it on our Press page. For more info check this site or follow me on Twitter @martinceviche and sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear about goings-on at our lovely new Home.
Saludos
Martin
Comments from our most recent Ceviche Pop Restaurant (June 2011)
“Excellent food, nice ambience with beautiful music. Looking forward to the next one as the whole experience will stick in my mind until the next one” Paul & Corinne
“What an experience!! Cant wait to go to the real Ceviche when its going to happen. Let me know !!” Eleo
I started the idea of Ceviche 2 years ago. At the time I met with 2 hospitality experts who although they looked at me as if I was mad, told me about the great pitfalls and the challenges I would have, they thought it was a good idea. Since then, I’ve had incredible support from restaurateurs from Ping Pong, Pho, Wahaca, Polpo, Giraffe, Bob Bob Ricard, Tossed, Cinammon Club, Soho House, Hakkasan, The Draft House, La Petit Maison, Toast and Roka who have given me not only their time but advice and a helping hand. They have answered my calls when I’ve needed advice about designers, agents, project managers, architects or lawyers. They have all been there and done that and they are all entrepreneurs so there is a bond between us and an affinity to what Im trying to achieve. But the fun part is that they have all done this differently. There is no prescribed way to start a restaurant. They all have their own particular amazing and inspiring story. But what I did find in common with them is that they were all frustrated by not being able to get what they wanted so they had to create it – their restaurant business. They have the scars and triumphs and I’ve been lucky to be able to spend time with them learning. I hope by doing this, I will have scrapes but no scars.
I’m running all the time. I am doing my best to spend as much time as possible building our new business and spending time with Lucy, Felix and Otilia, and trying to hold it all together. Life is moving fast, and so is our new venture so it’s difficult stopping for a mo and telling you what’s going on as it’s quite a lot. But if I look at my diary from the last few weeks I can mention the following: I’ve met Peru’s greatest tenor Juan Diego Flores. He is passionate about Peruvian cuisine. I’ve met the Peruvian Ambassador who is a true supporter of Ceviche and loves Pisco Sours! I’ve had a chat with footie player Nolberto ‘Nobby’ Solano as he has always wanted his own restaurant and I met the fantastic Chef and Broadcaster Merrilees Parker. This was by chance in a Nigel Hall shop where she was shopping with her cool hubby. What luck. I had been a huge fan of Merrilees as she was the only TV Chef that had been to Peru and shot there so when I saw her I ran over to her like an embarrassing groupie. She was great, heard me out and now loves Ceviche.
This all may sound glamorous but in between I’ve been working 18 hour days. I’ve gone through 2 pairs of shoes as I have spent many many hours walking around Soho, Covent Garden, Shoreditch and many more areas looking for potential sites. I have a clicker counter and have spent hours outside restaurants and on particular streets studying footfall. I feel like I know every brick in Archer Street – a great place where our restaurant could be. I spend hours in restaurants that may compete with ours or may be a positive influence to ours. I watch, count, talk to people and drink water. Tap water. Otherwise our development budget would be astronomical. I’ve been using the ‘Boris Bikes’ too to get from meeting to meeting. One day there was an enormous rainfall. I got soaked, arrived at DCL’s offices – a top property agent – dripping and began to present our business to them. They loved Ceviche, but they didn’t like the wet patch I left on their expensive Chesterfield sofa. Sorry Tracey. The problem was that 2 days later I got an almighty flu. But no rest for the start-ups. We move on and forward; with a smile on our face and a mission to start Ceviche. With me are our fantastic growing team. I am grateful to have them and am excited by what we are about to do and become.