CheLondon - eatdrink Magazine

№ 32 | November/December 2011 www.eatdrink.ca 13
Various interesting xtures spread light over the ceilings and exposed
brick walls, creating an extra level of texture in the comfortable and
stylish Che Restobar.
ourish in a bartender’s repertoire is never a
bad thing, and in this case it is often part of
the experience.
A well-designed restobar demands an
in-depth understanding of how restaurants
ow, how customers and sta interact with
the layout. Che does this with aplomb, featuring
exposed brick walls, a long bar with
a granite countertop, and a perfect coign of
vantage, as well as immense Maskros light
xtures that project decorative patterns
on the walls and ceilings. Step up into the
dining room, which, like the bar, has high
ceilings (one of the features of the buildings
that appealed to Rivas), and large picture
windows that allow lots of natural light.
Rivas, originally from El Salvador, relocated
to London from Toronto ve years ago
(after a lengthy stint at Babalúu in Yorkville),
looking for a property that he could develop.
With the assistance of Janette MacDonald,
General Manager of Downtown London,
Rivas scouted for the ideal location, nally
purchasing two adjacent buildings with
great potential and turning them into a virtual
showplace. e restaurant is on a split
level on the ground oor, and the upstairs
houses apartments.
Peruvians claim ceviche as their own and,
at Che, Chef Nunez re-interprets and presents
his signature repertoire of ceviche creations
in a contemporary manner. Ceviche,
a seafood dish popular in Central and South
America, is typically made from fresh raw
sh marinated in citrus juices such as lemon
or lime and spiced with chilli peppers, and is
known as the epitome of fusion (mixing and
matching nontraditional methods
and ingredients and creating
something dierent). It often
uses Incan hot peppers, Spanish
limes and onions and Japanese
techniques for preparing sh.
At Che, ceviche is elevated by
creativity and brilliant avour
combinations such as fresh tuna
in tamarind leche de tigre (citrus
based marinade that is purported
to be both an aphrodisiac
and a hangover cure), avocado,
jicama, Peruvian corn and
yam; or try their delectable wild
salmon in a passion fruit leche
de tigre, jicama, Peruvian corn
and yam mixture. ese dishes
are hands-down winners. A version
with tilapia is less so and has since been
banished from the menu.
Nunez and his culinary team add a ery
splash of Incan peppers (aji) to the kitchen’s
signature citrus marinated wild salmon,
octopus and tuna ceviche. Aji is a fundamental
and ubiquitous ingredient that is
characteristic of Peruvian cuisine, and is
present in most dishes. e best-known
variety used is the very spicy aji limo, which
ranges from yellow to green to red in colour.
The split level works well, with the upper dining
room still having pleasantly high ceilings