Last week we said that we were charmed by La Bodega Negra, this week however, we were thoroughly disappointed with what must be its key rival in the ceviche bar market: Ceviche (the clue is clearly in the title). It actually failed with a full house, let down by food, drink and service. Perhaps it was my fault early on by committing a cardinal sin, head still clearly at Mexican themed La Bodegra Negra I asked for a margarita. Was that a wince or a scowl from the barman? Since Ceviche is a Peruvian kitchen, their spirit is in fact Pisco; my bad, but even so.
The food we found dull. The 'Barranco I Love You' is listed as thinly sliced sea bass though a poor job had been made of the slicing, hacking might have been a more apt description. The fish itself seemed low quality, often stringy and lacking any impact of its own; this was never 'a beautiful fish'. The odd chilli kick but otherwise bland.
The braised octopus (wonder if they meant bruised octopus) similarly offered little beyond the capers. Eating it all seemed somehow pointless, and apologies for keep harping back, but a million miles away from the simple genius of the tuna ceviche at Bodega Negra where both of wished we were by this point.
On drinks, the first choice of soft drink was Superchaco (papaya, ginger and lemongrass cordial) but this was unavailable. The offered alternative was Chica Morada; is it sweet we asked? No said the barman: we wonder just what his idea of sweet is then for it undeniably was. The pisco sour meanwhile was harshly alcoholic, the cocktail out of balance, making it my turn to wince. Compared to the four margaritas consumed at 'the other place', here, half of the contents of this glass were left undrunk, surely a first.
On service, mostly surly: no smiles, no one asking if the food was okay and no one saying thank you when we paid the bill.
The food then was drab, the service indifferent and the barman seemed to lack a palate. Ceviche is clearly a place of note but our note against this place is to avoid it, take a two minute walk down the road and yes, you've guessed it, pull up a seat at the infinitely better La Bodega Negra instead.
The food we found dull. The 'Barranco I Love You' is listed as thinly sliced sea bass though a poor job had been made of the slicing, hacking might have been a more apt description. The fish itself seemed low quality, often stringy and lacking any impact of its own; this was never 'a beautiful fish'. The odd chilli kick but otherwise bland.
The braised octopus (wonder if they meant bruised octopus) similarly offered little beyond the capers. Eating it all seemed somehow pointless, and apologies for keep harping back, but a million miles away from the simple genius of the tuna ceviche at Bodega Negra where both of wished we were by this point.
On drinks, the first choice of soft drink was Superchaco (papaya, ginger and lemongrass cordial) but this was unavailable. The offered alternative was Chica Morada; is it sweet we asked? No said the barman: we wonder just what his idea of sweet is then for it undeniably was. The pisco sour meanwhile was harshly alcoholic, the cocktail out of balance, making it my turn to wince. Compared to the four margaritas consumed at 'the other place', here, half of the contents of this glass were left undrunk, surely a first.
On service, mostly surly: no smiles, no one asking if the food was okay and no one saying thank you when we paid the bill.
The food then was drab, the service indifferent and the barman seemed to lack a palate. Ceviche is clearly a place of note but our note against this place is to avoid it, take a two minute walk down the road and yes, you've guessed it, pull up a seat at the infinitely better La Bodega Negra instead.
the bar area, the seated restaurant is in the background
Tuquenos
Pulpo al Olivo (braised octopus)
Barranco I Love You (sea bass)
Solteron (Palm hearts, spinach, feta)
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