After a recent and rather brilliant meal at the new Ceviche in Old Street, I thought I’d pop in for lunch at the original one in Soho as I haven’t been back for years.

We were given the option of sitting at the bar at the front or in the dining room out the back which is what we opted for. It was a colourful and lively space; it felt a bit like we were on holiday.

We started with the Don Ceviche (£8), which featured chunks of seabass in a citrusy tiger’s milk. It made for a really vibrant and refreshing mouthful. A salad of avocado, pearl barley and cherry tomatoes in a pisco dressing (£4.50) also continued the fresh theme.

Pork chifa tequeños (£4.50), which were crispy wontons filled with pork, were so moreish that we instantly ordered another plate after just one bite. The accompanying chilli dip was great too.

For main, we ordered the beef heart skewers (£8) which were so juicy and tender I didn’t know whether to kiss ’em or eat ’em. Plump pieces of skewered chicken thighs (£8) were brilliantly moist and had shed loads of flavour from the panca chilli and orange zest.

The braised pork belly (£9) came with a shard of pork crackling which is always a good thing. The thick chunks of pig had a charred exterior with a soft and fatty centre. The confit figs were a bit sickly sweet for me though.

Our lunch at Ceviche was a brilliant one. Vibrant, colourful food with bold and punchy flavours made for a touch of Peru in the middle of Soho – which is a lovely thing. I can see why they opened a second one.

4/5