Chicima, located in World’s End, Chelsea, is the little sister to Peruvian powerhouse Pachamama. Peruvian food has been super popular lately and having been to Pachcmama, Chotto Matte and Coya as well as actually going to Peru last year, I can say the Peruvian food in London is second to none.

Chicama is really good, as long as you like seafood and veggies. You aren’t coming here for variety, but the options they do have are delicious. I went with my friend Michelle because she’d been raving about it for weeks. We went on a Monday so the vibe wasn’t amazing, but she assured me that later in the week, it has a cool atmosphere.

It’s tapas style so we shared several starters and then a main fish, and honestly, we probably didn’t need the fish. The starter portions are really decent. We began with the tapioca marshmallows, which were good, but I didn’t love the texture (I’ve always hated tapioca).

However, next up were the courgette and cornmeal beignets and I highly recommend them. Sooooo tasty and the sauces were on point.

We moved on to the ceviche, which is classic Peruvian. The salmon could have been a main meal on it’s own as it included quinoa. It was really good and I definitely ate more than my fair share.

The tuna wasn’t so much ceviche (i.e, not chunks with onion) but thin slices topped with jalapeno and accompaniments. It was also really good and not too fishy which is usually my main complaint with ceviche.

They do a really good job with veggies because it’s basically all they serve. The roasted cauliflower was a highlight for me. It’s the vegetable du jour so I do feel it’s been played out a little, but the addition of almonds and a yogurt sauce was tasty.

The other vegetable I would say is a must is the aubergine. Again, this has been done a lot but the miso sauce was really good.

By the time we got to the fish we were stuffed, but honestly, it was nothing to write home about. However, the sides were fantastic. Michelle was obsessed with the black rice, which was good, but she kind of hyped it up too much.

The charred sweet potato was also really good but I could barely have a bite after all the food.

Chicama has the potential to be a great light dinner with the girls if you don’t over order. But, on the same note, if you’re looking for something hearty, this isn’t the place for you either.

What to wear: I was dripping in fur because it was cold and I was being dramatic.

Chicama
383 King’s Road
SW10 0LP,
London

020 3874 2000