Wahaca - Restaurant Review

I've been told by several readers that, although I take a ton of pictures and write a lot about what I eat, I need to do some proper restaurant reviews. Also, one of the most common questions I get is how is the food in London because the assumption is that the food in the UK is inedible. Since Yelp has failed me by not going international, I'll have to post my reviews on my blog. Here are the caveats on my reviews: 1) no these are not professional reviews so I'm not going to eat several times to try everything on the menu; 2) I will not go in costume unless I'm drunk or am in costume for some other reason; 3) yes the prices seem sky high if you convert to dollars, so don't; 4) these reviews are based on my tastes and opinions so if you don't agree, tough.

For my debut review I chose Wahaca restaurant near Covent Garden because a fair amount of Americans and most Californians who have relocated to the UK have been unable to find any decent Mexican food.

Wahaca - Mexican Market Eating

Wahaca was opened in 2007 by chef/owner Thomasina Miers. Although I was not here to follow the series, this was a highly anticipated opening since Chef Miers was the 2005 winner of MasterChef. As you've probably guessed, MasterChef is a BBC reality program where amateur chefs compete in weekly tasks to earn the title and take home a prize of working unpaid in a top London restaurant for one year. Chef Miers is a committee member of Slow Food in London and is a huge proponent of local farm to table sourcing so I had high expectations for Wahaca. The restaurant has also been awarded "Best Cheap Place to Eat in the UK" by The Observer Food Monthly Magazine which is a huge nod since dining out in London is decidedly always expensive or fast food.

The concept behind the food at Wahaca is Mexican market eating, the simple yet fresh and diverse food you would supposedly find walking down the streets of Oxaca, Mexico. I can't vouch for it's authenticity since I've never been to Mexico but the food at Wahaca was decidedly fresh, flavorful, and inexpensive. I ordered from the selection of smaller dishes which are served "tapas" style where you choose from a list of soft tacos, quesadillas (Mexican style), tostadas, or taquitos. They also serve soups, entree salads, and larger plates but given a choice I will always go for the variety of a few smaller dishes over one large entree.

I didn't plan my afternoon very well so by the time I reached the restaurant I was starving. I ordered the pork pibil soft tacos (£3.60) and tender, marinated chicken taquitos (£3.75). All orders are accompanied by a side of tomtaillo and tomato salsas and the restaurant's homemade habenero sauce which I didn't have the courage to try. The tacos are served in a trio with each about 1-1/2 in round. They are layered with a soft corn tortilla at the bottom, a dollop of black beans, shredded pork slow cooked in their special Yucatan marinade, and then a sprinkling of pickled red onions. The pork was moist, tender, and flavorful with the right amount of spiciness for my taste and the black beans not only added flavor but kept the pork from sliding off the tortilla. The red onions did add a nice contrasting tanginess but I would have like a little more crunch in this dish. I also added the tomato salsa on top for an added bonus. The taquitos were served in two with marinated chicken wrapped in a corn tortialla and deep fried. They were then topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded Lancashire cheese, and something resembling sour cream that they call crema. Although the dish was good and I really enjoyed the texture, the chicken was a bit bland as I couldn't taste the marinade. I do applaud them for using white meat chicken, even though I prefer dark meat, since this is a cheap eats place.

I was able to finish the taquitos and two of the pork tacos and would have been fully satiated there but who could say no to churros y chocolate (£3.40). They served me three churros piped into tear drop shapes instead of the standard stick with a rich chocolate sauce. The churros were lightly sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, a little too lightly since barely any stuck to them and I would have preferred them to be a bit denser/cakier instead of doughy in the middle. The chocolate sauce more than made up for it though since it really was a rich sauce made from dark chocolate.

All in all the food was great, especially for the price and the flavors satisfied the California-Mexican side of me. The small dishes may be a bit small for some guys with a larger appertite but just come with a group and order a few dishes here and there until you're full. Also, a few points off for naming it Wahaca (the phonetic spelling of Oaxaca) presumably because they didn't trust people to pronounce it properly.

pork pibil soft tacos £3.60
chicken taquitos £3.75
churros y chocolate £3.40
agua fresca £1.25

total = £12 (+£1 for tip which isn't bad in the UK)

Overall rating:

1/2 (out of 5 tube stops)

(I chose tube stops as my rating marker since it was appropriately thematic and also represents the distance/trouble I would go to in order to dine there)

Ambience: The idea is supposed to be Mexican outdoor market so there is a hint of an outdoors brought indoors feeling. The space seems like a converted warehouse (complete with metal rolling doors) painted in vibrant yellows, greens, and turqouise blues. There are simple metal chairs and tables with some long wooden benches for a communal feel.

Drinks: I had the agua fresca which was pretty unmentionable. They do have a good list of beers, margaritas, and other cocktails which I'll have to try next time.

Price range: £ (out of ££££)

Reservations: They don't believe in them. Afterall, you're supposed to feel like you're out in a Mexican market. I tried to go another night with a friend for dinner and it was an hour wait.