Mestizo - Hampstead Road, NW1
Review by Veronica Blake
SOME of the worst meals I have ever eaten have been in Mexican restaurants.
However, they have been of the Tex-Mex variety where container loads of synthetic Guacamole and stodgy Buritos filled with refried, rehashed stodge in sour cream is no way reflective of authentic Mexican food. DH Lawrence summed up such things in Mornings in Mexico with his description of distasteful tortillas as “a Millstone in the belly, like an adobe brick”.
That is why the recently opened Mestizo was such a pleasant surprise. Particularly as it’s in the unlikely setting of Somerstown, a stone’s throw from the windswept corner of Euston Tower, an area known more for it’s Indian restaurants.
Despite the fact that the square design gives an acoustic din and the large uncurtained windows create a feeling of dining in a goldfish bowl, it was packed on a Wednesday evening and with Mexicans too!
However as DH Lawrence, who spent two years living in New Mexico, mused on the departed civilization of the Etruscans and it’s decay: “The only thing you can do is to have a little ghost inside you which sees both ways, or even many ways.”
“The food here is truly authentic,” said owner, Marysol Alvarado from one of Mexico’s lovliest towns, Cuernavaca, where her husband was part of the team that set up the Senor Frog chain.
At Mestizo, you won’t find the usual stomach-churning glop of the Tex-Mex Taco, or a scantily-clad ‘Arriba’ shrieking Tequila shots girl on a commission and a mission to get diners as drunk as quickly as possible so as not to notice how disgustingly inedible the food is!
Tex Mex food is about as reflective of true Mexican food as a bad Gypsy King’s cover version is of the legendary Gypsy flamenco guitarist, El Camaron.
We shared a selection of Antojitos, a sort of Mexican Meze of tamales, corn husks filled with either chicken or pork with salsa verde. The Guacamole was made from freshly prepared Avocado and wafer-crisp nachos, served with layers of melted cheese and sliced Jalapeno peppers. We counted 13 varieties of Antojitos and 14 versions of Tacos. There’s a Taco Tray from which you can select your choice of filling.
The Sopa de Tortilla is a Cuernavaca special, seasoned fresh tomato soup with fried corn tortilla chips and sliced avocado. My friend’s Ceviche de Camaron, prawns marinated in lemon juice with chopped onions, tomatoes, serano chiles and fresh coriander served with avocado, got the thumbs up.
The ‘Locuras de La Cocina’ Specials include the famous Mexican dish, Mole Poblano, boneless chicken breast served with mole sauce made from dried chiles, herbs, spices, almonds, chocolate and served with refried beans and rice.
Mole Verde is chicken or pork served with green mole sauce with salad and refried beans and rice. While Pozole is a typical dish from the Guerrero consisting of fresh whole corn soup made with either chicked or pork and garnished with lettuce, onion, chopped chiles and lime.
Special dishes are being planned to celebrate Cinqo Di Mayo (May 5) and Dia Del Madre, the Mexican Mother’s Day on May 7.
I was surprised at just how good the sea bass was. It’s not a dish you expect to find on a Mexican menu. But grilled and served in a chilli sauce, it was delicious.
Near our table, a flamenco teacher, Eduardo Moran, from the Spanish music academy next door, was slecting a jar of Chilli sauce from a display. I suggested he should enquire about performing a live set, which would perfectly mask the acoustic din.
There’s a mouthwatering selection of five desserts, from Helados, or sorbets; Pastel de Queso y Coco, a scrummy sounding cheese and coconut cake with mango coulis.
Throwing caution to the wind (and diet), I opted for the traditional Mexican dish of Bunuelos, crispy fritters in a syrupy sugar cane sauce which were so delicious even Lawrence would have approved.
Mestizo,
103 Hampstead Road, NW1.
Tel: 020 7387 4064