Martin Morales to open Ceviche Old St
Restaurateur Martin Morales is to open a second Ceviche restaurant, this time in London's Old Street.
Ceviche Old St is set to open in the Alexandra Trust Dining Rooms in March 2015 and follows the success of Peruvian restaurant Ceviche in Soho, and the more recent opening of Andina in Shoreditch.
The newest site will comprise 130 covers, including a 70-cover dining room, with a dedicated ceviche bar, Peruvian rotisserie and open grill, and a 60-cover bar area which will serve bar snacks, Pisco cocktails and British and Latin American craft beer.
Built in 1898 by Sir Thomas Lipton, of Lipton's Tea, the Alexandra Trust Dining Rooms were originally a place for East London's working class to dine affordably and socialise with fellow workers, friends and family. Up to 12,000 meals were served each day by 100 waitresses, with a typical meal costing the equivalent of just 2p today.
Ceviche Old St is set to draw on the sites heritage and ethos and promises sharing dishes at "affordable" prices in both the main restaurant and bar. Small dishes are priced at £3.50 while ceviches and tiraditos are £7 each. Coffee and tea will be £1.50, and cocktails are priced at £7.
The menu will have an emphasis on healthy ingredients and introduce new Peruvian flavours into the London dining scene; presenting techniques and cooking-styles inspired by Morales' travels to Peru. Dishes from Peru's Chifa (Peruvian-Chinese) and Nikkei (Peruvian-Japanese) gastronomy, will sit alongside Criollo and Afro-Peruvian BBQ dishes.
Inspired by its Victorian surroundings, dishes will also include creative interpretations of Victorian classics, as well as Peruvian recipes from the 19th century.
The 60-cover bar will stock a selection of Peruvian piscos new to Britain, and a list of creative pisco cocktails, including Ceviche's signature Pisco Sour, will be available alongside classics usually mixing gin, vodka, rum or whisky served instead with pisco. British and Latin American craft beer will also be available, on tap where possible.
The design at Ceviche Old St is a collaboration between Morales and Fabled Studio and is focussed on restoring the Alexandra Trust Dining Rooms' original structural features and character. The interiors will stay faithful to Victorian architecture, yet will introduce same-era Peruvian aesthetics to the mix. Dark redwood panelling will be used to create the bar and counters, whilst original tiling and glazed brickwork will be evident throughout the restaurant space. Select artwork by acclaimed contemporary Peruvian artists will add a creative edge to the aesthetics.
Morales said: "We are thrilled to be able to bring a dining legacy back to life with Ceviche Old St. When I first imagined opening my own Peruvian restaurant in London, I dreamed of seeing customers enjoy fresh ceviche prepared before their eyes, experiencing the heat and thrill of barbeque meats cooked anticucho-style on an open grill, all on one floor and under one roof. I imagined serving food rooted in Peruvian tradition yet made with a contemporary edge, drawing on the best of London's creativity and ingredients. 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."
