On Friday I went to a Soho restaurant called Chotto Matte.  They serve a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian food.  Sound a bit strange?  Well there is a huge settlement of Japanese in Peru (Peru has the second largest Japanese population in South America). 

In the 1800s a large number of Japanese moved over to Peru, enticed by the promise of work on the land.  After their initial contracts ended, many stayed on and opened restaurants catering to the local Peruvians.  This created an odd hybrid  of Japanese cooking methods and Peruvian ingredients, now known as Nikkei style. 

Nikkei restaurants are a relatively new concept in Europe.

The national drink of Peru is Pisco sour. This is a brandy-like spirit, which is mixed with sugar, lime and egg whites. Chile also claims ownership of this national drink. Pisco comes from the Peruvian town of Pisco (hence the name) although the Chileans, not wanting to give up, have renamed one of their towns as Pisco in order to claim equal ownership.  

Chotto Matte is a huge restaurant, spread over three floors with a bar, sushi station and indoor barbecue.  The staff are all very enthusiastic and eager to please, always jumping in with helpful suggestions should you get confused by the unfamiliar items on the menu.