Sabor

Despite never having been to New York, I feel that it's probably the one place that beats London in terms of variety, authenticity and quality of world cuisine. London's European and Asian cuisine is probably better than New York's, but judging from foodie blogs and restaurant reviews, New York has the better African and South American restaurants. Maybe it's because I don't know where London's hidden treasures are.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered Sabor, a South American restaurant in Islington, serving what one might term novo andino (New Andean) cuisine, alongside Brazilian and Argentine specialities - something one might call Nuevo Latino, perhaps. It's located in an area with a number of interesting ethnic restaurants - there's an Afghan restaurant, an Ethiopian curry house, a Cuban bar, and a Portuguese-Italian deli among others. More later, perhaps. Back to Sabor (flavour in Spanish):

Sabor
108 Essex Road
London N1 8LX
020 7226 5551

The cocktails and wine lists are fairly authentic - this place does good pisco sours, as well as decent margaritas - with a Latin American twist. The cocktails and mocktails incorporate South American fruits, such as acai and mora. One can also finish off one's meal with a yerba mate, the ubiquitous (in South America) herbal tea.

The starters, as far as I can judge, are variations on South American street food - croquetas (fried potato or maize croquettes), empanadas (what my fellow Asians might term curry puffs, filled with stewed meat), quesadillas, and black bean soup. They are generally served with salad, the portions are substantial, and they are hearty and filling dishes.

I really enjoyed the mains - they are the kind of food that appeals to me. Not fancy, authentic-rustic-ethnic (is there such a word?), flavourful, but still imaginative. In this case the chef can make use of various Latin American ingredients while still staying true to the spirit of the food, but still. I particularly liked the aji de gallina, a Peruvian dish of stewed chicken in a milky garlic fruit sauce. I've had 2 versions, one in a Peruvian restaurant, and another at Sabor, and Sabor's has far more garlicky, sweet fruity flavour. I also liked Sabor's version of duck confit - served with arroz verde and a salsa, but on a recent visit my friend CY found it a little tough. The Pretty Lady likes the moqueca, a Brazilian fish stew. Sabor's version has prawns, mussels, white fleshed fish, garlic, tomatoes, and coconut milk. A Latin American version of laksa!

Desserts aren't great - mainly variations on standard fare flavoured with dulce de leche and mora (the Andean version of a blueberry), but I'd just have a yerba mate and call it a night. CY had something quite interesting, called an alfajores - biscuits spread with dulce de leche and topped with ice cream.

Sabor is the best Latin American restaurant I've found in London so far. An interesting introduction to a cuisine which I've still got a ways to explore...

Scores:

7 Feb 2008: TFQ = 24, CS = 22, S = 14, AD = 7, VfM = 8. Total = 75 points.

What does this mean?