Peruvian chef Ricardo Zarate, known as the Godfather of Peruvian Cuisine and revered for popular dining destinations such as Picca, and Rosaline, has finally opened his very own restaurant with The Hummingbird Ceviche House.
Chef Ricardo’s ceviche house features Nikkei Peruvian cuisine. FYI, “Nikkei” is the word used to describe immigrants of Japanese origin in Peru. The cevicheria in the Echo Park / Silver Lake neighborhood specializes in seafood, in this case, ceviche. Here, guests can delight in a range of Nikkei handrolls, delectable ceviche, small bites, hot dishes, and decadent desserts.
The Hummingbird moniker comes from Chef’s childhood nickname when he used to pester all his neighbors to teach him how to cook. That was a long time ago as now Chef Ricardo Zarate is serving some of the tastiest ceviche in town.
During our recent visit, we started with some excellent Nikkei handrolls—each handroll costs $8. We loved the tuna, spicy rocoto pepper truffle, and avocado handroll, as well as the salmon, lemongrass aioli, and negi onion handroll. These are perfect starter items or go ahead and feast on the handroll menu and indulge in fresh fare.
From the Small Bites section of the menu we loved the shrimp dumpling ceviche with sesame leaf, and tigers milk aioli. Think of these as four mini empanadas filled with a sensational shrimp flavor.
From the Ceviches menu, we opted for the yellowtail ceviche tostada with serrano, avocado, and soy-ginger-lemon dressing. Chef uses a Mexican tortilla that is baked, not fried, and the dish is served like a tostada—light and crispy and delicious.
Likewise, the Sea bass ceviche with rocoto, cancha corn, red onion, and cilantro is also served on a crispy tostada. You cannot go wrong with either of these cool ceviche options.
If you’re looking for something more substantial, I would recommend the Octopus with aji Amarillo hummus, feta, olive, cancha corn salsa, and served with flat bread. This ceviche dish is very Mediterranean. Its presentation is absolutely lovely as is the flavor. Be prepared to be impressed.
I’ve always been a big fan of Chef Ricardo and it’s so great to see him open up his very own cevicheria. The blend of Japanese, Peruvian and California cuisines is aptly and artfully done to perfection here. The comfy and cozy restaurant is charming and chill and serves some of the best ceviche around.
The Hummingbird Ceviche House is located at 1600 N. Alvarado Street. Open Wednesday through Saturday from 5pm to 10pm. Call (213) 929-9610. Street parking is available on Alvarado Street and Berkeley Avenue.
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