Tag Archives: Mexican

Club Mexicana at Pamela, Dalston

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Pamela is one of Dalston’s most popular drinking dens, always packed with hipsters sampling the cocktails and craft beers. It is a friendly bar which, in their own words, should even appeal to ‘people who don’t like cocktail bars’. I visited to try the new food offering, a long-term residency from Club Mexicana.

Club Mexicana started life as a food trader at street markets and festival fields. The team serve up vegan Mexican cuisine which is full of flavour and flare.

Club Mexicana at PamelaClub Mexicana at PamelaClub Mexicana at Pamela

The menu features ‘small plates’, ‘tacos and more’ and ‘sweet’ options. After a round of strong, tropical drinks, we chose a few plates from each section. Mexican sweet corn with chipotle mayo, ancho chilli crumb and lime zest was very satisfying to gnaw at, with a lovely crunch from the crumb and a citrus kick from the lime. Annato glazed aubergine with sour cream and coriander was a total wonder… soft marinated chunks of aubergine were marinated with a delicious sauce and topped with vibrant fresh coriander.

Club Mexicana at PamelaClub Mexicana at Pamela

The tacos were amazing too, and I was amazed at how little I noticed the absence of fish, meat and dairy. Baja to-fish taco was my favourite, an inventive fish substitute managed to recreate the exact same texture, served with pickled red cabbage, avocado salsa verde and chipotle chilli oil. I also loved the Carne Asada Taco with refried pinto beans, but found it a little too spicy.

Club Mexicana at Pamela

The vegan desserts were the least successful… Margarita Key Lime Pie was a bit sloppy with whipped coconut cream that had split to give a very strange texture. The special for the day was chocolate cheesecake with orange and salted caramel, a nicer dish with shards of dark chocolate and a sticky sweet sauce.

All in all I was mightily impressed with Club Mexicana’s menu at Pamela and would urge anyone drinking in the area this weekend to substitute their usual comfort food with this brilliant vegan option.

More information on Club Mexicana’s residency at Pamela here.

Las Iguanas, Southbank

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I have always loved Las Iguanas, so it was no chore visiting for review purposes. The fun, noisy Mexican chain serves up some of the best Caiprinhas and Nachos I have ever tasted. And I have tasted a lot.

With branches across London, this cheerful and reasonably priced eatery is perfect for a quick drink or snack but can also serve as a lovely venue to spend an evening. It has a great vibe that puts me in a celebratory mood. Las Iguanas have kept the Olympic flame alive well after the closing ceremony. Honoring their Brazilian routes and in anticipation of Rio 2016, they are hosting a pop up ‘Rio Botequim’ across all their restaurants. With Rio set to be the next city after London to host the Olympics and Paralympics, Las Iguanas is the ideal place to mark the occasion.
Akin to a Brazilian pub, a botequim is a place to eat, drink and be merry so Las Iguanas have created a special menu highlighting typical botequim dishes and drinks as well as staging a number of culinary, cultural and sporting activities.

The service is exemplary, our waitress popped by regularly to check if we needed anything despite the overflowing restaurant of guests. Another good sign… it is ALWAYS busy in Las Iguanas. We visited the Southbank branch before seeing the Crazy Horse cabaret show. Our waitress highlighted the specials and new additions to the menu, I think she was surprised that I instantly knew what I wanted! Caiprinhas came first, ice cold, sugary with a kick from the lime… I love this cocktail so much, it seems to medicinally soothe the throat. The sizzling food was all ultra fresh and delicious. Crispy nachos with gooey cheese, salsa, guacamole and sour cream was addictive especially with the extra grilled chorizo on top. Definitely a bad idea to write this review at lunchtime, as I am drooling at the memory of our Las Iguanas feast.

Later we tried two of the new red fruits cocktails, they tasted stronger than I had expected. Reggae Rumba has a tropical taste with Havana Club Especial rum, lemon juice, strawberry & hibiscus syrup, strawberry liquor and fresh lime. Mulled Daiquiri was the real hit though, a combination of rum, lemon juice, cinnamon syrup, vanilla liqueur, cassis, orange and red wine… basically a better version of mulled wine, the perfect drink to welcome in winter.

Fajitas at Las Iguanas are faultless. Every element comes separately so you can make your own wraps to your personal specifications. It is the spicy sizzling chicken that makes the fajita so good, with a mix of coriander, lime, paprika, cumin, onions and peppers, it is good enough to eat alone. There was no room or time for pudding but a selection of exotic influenced treats are on offer.

You can tell I love this chain, equally excellent cocktails and food: Las Iguanas is a restaurant for any occasion and every situation.

Visit the website here for more information.

http://www.iguanas.co.uk/

La Bodega Negra, cafe and ceviche bar, Soho

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Trekking through Soho ravenous after 11pm is a disappointing affair. After a late night play, food was a necessity and I had confidence that Soho would be the place to find our grub. Turns out everywhere stops serving at 10.30 ish, everywhere that is apart from La Bodega Negra Café and Ceviche Bar.

This Mexican café glows on the corner of Old Compton Street enticing in guests with the eye-catching neon sign and a happy soundtrack which drifts down the street. We skipped in, so delighted to hear they were still serving that we almost hugged the waiter. Snuggling up at a cosy corner table we were in the ideal position to observe and enjoy our surroundings, the raucous groups of friends and intimate couples, all enjoying a casual meal while listening to the entertaining music.

I promise you I tried to avoid the cocktails, especially after several glasses of Pimms earlier in the evening, but the authentic sounding drinks were irresistible… it didn’t help that I had major cocktail envy watching all the other diners sipping pretty drinks from martini glasses. I wanted to be like them, and taste what they had.. so I succumbed and ordered a caiprinha which arrived ice cold, strong and zingy but utterly delicious.

The menu is filled with all the usual classics, in numerous meat and veggie varieties. We ordered a few plates to share: Chicken Tostada, Pork Al Pastor Tacos with Salsa Verde and Quesadillas with Chorizo, Cheese and Salsa Roja. The dishes are slightly odd sizes, too small to share but too big to pop in your mouth in one go… neither starter nor main. It is best to order a selection and pick at it all, sharing and caring as you go. Apparently the Tacos are the most popular, yummy fillings in hard crunchy shells… but I found that I preferred the other dishes. Quesadillas were piping hot and oozing melted cheese, an addictive combination of ingredients with a kick from the spicy salsa and with a dollop of contrasting soured cream. Chicken Tostada was good too, an appetising mix of marinated pulled chicken, tinga, crema and avocado and the slightly strange addition of pineapple which I didn’t like so much. The homemade Guacamole is a must, mixed to perfection, I would definitely recommend a side portion with your meal.

Had it been earlier in the evening, I would have indulged in one of the yummy sounding desserts… especially as Mango Pannacotta and Lime Granita was on offer! There’s something to look forward to for next time…

La Bodega Negra provides tasty food in a fun environment and is the perfect place for a mischievous midnight snack.

http://labodeganegra.com/