Wahaca

I do like Latin American food, and Mexican food must be one of the great treasures of the world. As I may have mentioned before, it can be quite difficult to obtain Mexican food in London, but ever since Wahaca opened in 2007, it has been a lot easier. Opened by Thomasina Miers, winner of Masterchef 2005, it has something of a Wagamama feel to it, but that's fine - the prices are Wagamama-like as well, and the food is quite a bit better. The team that runs Wahaca prides itself on sourcing the best British produce for authentic Mexican recipes - it certainly tastes authentic, in my admittedly limited experience.

One problem with Wahaca - it runs the same system as Barrafina without the snacking in the queue. There's no possibility of making a booking. One just turns up, and it's pot luck from then on in, as waiting time can be as much as an hour. The best times in my experience are early lunch on weekends, mid-afternoon all through the week, and late dinner (past 9pm) on weekdays. Best of luck, and yes, I am marking this place down on service for this very reason.

Wahaca
66 Chandos Place
Covent Garden
London WC2N 4HG
020 7240 1883

First of all, the drinks. They are very good. I usually start (and continue and end) with an agua fresca, hibiscus flavoured water with a squeeze of lime. I understand that in Mexico, they come in a variety of flavours, but here there's just the one. The Pretty Lady on the other hand prefers a citrus Belu - sparkling Belu water with lime juice and mint (all profits from sales of Belu water are donated to a Mexican charity as well). In addition, there are some very nice tequilas which are meant to be sipped and enjoyed like whisky. One can also get sangrita to go with the tequila - this is a mixture of tomato, chilli and lime, to be sipped along with it.

The menu is divided into street food (tapas-style) and more substantial dishes for the hungry. Yogababe usually goes for the tortilla soup here, which has sour cream, guacamole, and tortilla strips over which one pours the spiced tomato soup. The street food consists of tacos, tostadas, taquitos and quesadillas, which one orders to share. I particularly like the pork pibil (the same dish that Johnny Depp's character wanders around sampling in Once Upon A Time In Mexico) on a taco, and the beef salpicon on a tostada. Black bean and cheese quesadillas are refreshing and make an interesting change from the meat and fish.

When I'm particularly hungry, I go for the burrito or enchilada. Both come with a variety of fillings (the steak burrito is recommended), and are substantial enough for a full meal on their own. The fun about Wahaca is that one can mix and match on the menu, and that includes the sauces as well. The friendly wait staff will bring a tray with 2 salsas - ancho chile and salsa verde, and there's a bottle of habanero hot sauce on the table. Yes, it's very spicy, even for me.

Puddings are standard fare. The Pretty Lady likes the churros con chocolate, and I prefer to have some ice cream after all that spice. Either way though, it tends to work out well. Sweet desserts settle the stomach after all that food - and one will be replete, despite the seemingly small helpings. Don't forget to pick up a packet of chile seeds (packaged in a matchbook) on the way out.

Scores:

1 March 2008: TFQ = 25, CS = 23, S = 11, AD = 8, VfM = 8. Total = 75 points.

Note: 8 / 20 for the no bookings policy, and an extra 3 for the very friendly staff.

What does this mean?