La comida Mexicana

My recent food venture took me to Notting Hill to La Taqueria. I have always loved cooking Mexican food and so I thought it was time to go out and try some from a restaurant instead. I’ve read various cookbooks and watched many tv programmes about Mexican food, including the Oaxaca episode of ‘Street Food: Latin America’, which will make you fall in love with Mexican cooking and also make you very hungry so I strongly recommend giving it a watch, maybe with some food on hand just in case. It is from reading and watching that I’ve realised that Mexican food is all about sharing, which is why I knew I had to have a fellow foodie with me who would be just as keen to try the different taco variations. So I went with my best friend, Ellie, who I also have to give credit to for taking the photos of the food.

Tortilla chips (or totopos) are a must when at a Mexican restaurant. The delicate flavour of the corn and the incredible crunchy texture is what makes these ones so perfect and, when paired with different salsas, are the best way to start of the meal. We were served a trio of flavours with ours which offered different levels of sweetness but all provided a hit of spice which I am not extremely well accustomed to and, therefore, I was relieved to have a hibiscus agua fresca to help cool down my mouth. Agua frescas are extremely prominent in Mexico, with lots of market stalls selling various different flavours and, after trying one here, I understand why they are so popular. They are incredibly refreshing and the hibiscus one had a floral and tart flavour that worked so well. Anyway, back to the food.

We are students after all so we only had a few dishes, but that was enough to impress us. We tried the chorizo quesadilla first which we were both big fans of. Mexican chorizo is different to other varieties we might be more aware of. It is usually sold in a raw mince form rather than the cured form we usually see and of course the spices are what gives it its distinct flavour, packed with chillies and Mexican oregano amongst other spices. The spice of the chorizo perfectly complimented the saltiness of the cheese and elevated to a whole other level when dipped into the salsas served with the tortilla chips, another thing which I have to credit Ellie for. Then for the main show- the tacos. I went for the steak taco first, which came with an avocado cream and pico de gallo. The flavours in this taco balanced so well, with the umami and smoky flavour from the steak, the richness from the avocado cream and the sharpness and sweetness from the salsa. The steak itself was also cooked really well, having a slight bite but wasn’t chewy at all. However, my favourite had to be the fish taco. I hadn’t actually tried fish tacos before this but now they have made their way up in my taco ranking. The fish was fried but was so light and melted in the mouth. It was served with a chipotle mayo which provided a warmth but didn’t overpower the delicate flavour of the fish and shredded white cabbage that gave the dish the perfect crunch.

It was a great Mexican eating experience which I would definitely do again as I would love to try some more of the tacos and tostadas. But maybe next time I will go with my parents so that they can experience the amazing flavours that Mexican food has to offer … and so that I can get some additional funding for my desire to try lots more items on the menu - the student food lovers reading this will understand ;)