How much: £30 a head for 2 courses and rather more than a brace of beers.
With who: The International Man of Mystery
Come here if: you need a cheap, fun and friendly, if not particularly authentic, spot for a party
The International Man of Mystery and I start in the Latino style basement bar, boards displaying the top tequila tipplers of years gone by. We suck Sol and ruminate. Upstairs the space is small, rickety and crowded. Small bare tables fit together jigsaw-like into the space. Old photos and advertising boards fill the walls. It's authentic Mexican in a mid 70's British way, where Alison Steadman and Felicity Kendal might have come for the exotic thrill of a taco post performance.
The menu is sparse and fairly obvious. Nacho chips and a spicy tomato dip arrive unbidden and are followed by a selection of chicken, duck and pulled beef quesadilla to share. The cheese oozing from the side puts them at the unhealthy side of hearty and it's very much there to eat with your hands. Haute it is not, but nor is it pretending to be.. They're perfect following a couple of beers, but you struggle to identify which is which.
My main, a selection plate of street tacos is fine. You'd get more innovative flavours at Wahaca, but you'd have had to wait 45 minutes for a table too, so judge it that way. The corn tortillas come topped with spiced prawns (an unexpected hit of chilli heat), chicken and duck (shredded and a little indeterminate), beef sirloin, shredded beef and shredded chicken topped with coriander and onions, served with black beans and a selection of dips. The International Man of Mystery went for a big bowl of *extra hot* chile con carne. It passed without comment, but this wasn't food to occupy attention, but a fairly solid bite of faux-Mex spice while catching up with a friend.
Is there any truly authentic Mexican food in London? Being from Los Angeles, so close to Mexico, Im used to food so authentic you feel the sombrero on you head as you eat it. Guess my quest continues.
ReplyDeleteHi London Lady, thanks for the comment and thanks for reading. I've similarly been searching for great, authentic Mexican in London and have similarly struggled... That being said, I walked past Lupita (www.lupita.co.uk) last week, and despite the location (on the tourist alley between Charing Cross and Embankment) thought that I'd head down there at some point... I may be disappointed, but I'm game for trying! Had some great examples in San Fran and New York, but it doesn't seem to be a cuisine that crosses the Atlantic well...
ReplyDeleteRich