Tamales to your door!

Exciting news reaches our inbox from Hampshire: Marten and Yolanda got in touch to tell us about Tamales Online, their new site which sells ready-to-heat tamales to your door. Belizean Yolanda had the idea when she couldn't find tamales anywhere in the UK - a dilemma we know all too well. Cooked to order and vacuum-packed for freshness, the tamales just need reheating by steaming or microwaving once they reach your door.



Belizean tamales differ from Mexican ones by incorporating a spice blend called recado into the dough which adds an extra layer of flavour - and a rather vivid colour! The filling also includes recado and a tomato-based sauce, resulting in a milder taste than Mexican tamales.

While tamales are rarely vegetarian in Belize, Tamales Online have included two veggie varieties - including the lovely bean and sweet potato one we tasted. We ate them with a side of refried beans and some salsa over the top which made for a delicious and warming near-instant meal.



Tamales Online have tons of filling options, even including a breakfast tamale with bacon and black pudding, and a sweet coconut and cinnamon one for afters. I can imagine the site being a real hit, with the ability to buy a big box in bulk and keep them in the freezer. Perfect for an instant warming meal and especially great for parties, we reckon.

Visit tamalesonline.co.uk to place your order!

Tamales in Wahaca, Soho

We were treated to a soft launch preview dinner at the new Soho branch of Wahaca last night. The place is bright and fun, with a dedicated tequila bar downstairs. But of course we only had eyes for the tamales!



Artisan-made by Rico Mexican Kitchen, Wahaca's tamales come in chilli pork with mole and veggie poblano chilli, cheese and roast tomato salsa varieties. I found the veggie one just a touch dry and under-filled but dipped in the tomato salsa on the side it was rich and tasty, and the frijoles were also a great accompaniment (hmm, maybe I should try making tamales filled with black beans?). My companion, a tamale-newbie, had the pork one with mole which she said was fantastic.



Tamales aside, the queso fundido - Mexican fondue, essentially - was a big hit too, as were the smoky, salty roasted sweet potatoes. And happily classics like the frijoles and margaritas are still as good as ever. It was also nice to spot Thomasina herself at an adjoining table and say hello! I think the Soho restaurant will be a big success judging by the buzz on soft launch night - find it at 80 Wardour Street.

Dia de los Muertos at Benito's Hat

We were treated to a little preview of the special Dia de los Muertos festival menu at Benito's Hat last week. Celebrating the Mexican Day of the Dead, the menu features festive specialties including Pan de Muerto with chocolate sauce, a 'Vampiro' cocktail - a twist on the Margarita with tomato juice - and tamales, of course.



They have two varieties on offer: Pork with salsa roja and veggie with salsa verde. The addition of salsa and cheese to the top of the tamale - finished in the oven to melt the cheese - was unusual but very tasty and added an extra layer of flavour. The pork was tasty but not so strong to outdo the taste of the tamale. The enchilada-style tomato salsa was a great complementary flavour that we'll will definitely try when we cook tamales at home. Chef Felipe told us he used balsamic vinegar in the pork marinade, a seemingly unexpected ingredient that according to co-owner Ben is actually quite common in Mexico.



The sharing plate of veggie quesadillas, potato taquitos and black beans nachos was delicious as well, the irony-rich spinach quesadillas a particular highlight.

Try the festive menu yourself at Benito's Hat on November 2nd. Tamales might also make an appearance at other times of year, although as chef Felipe explained to us, they are quite time-consuming to make to order, which might account for the success of its cousin, the easy-assembly burrito.

Wahaca's winter menu

We're rather excited about Wahaca's new Winter menu, which is rolling out this week. Quite aside from the two varieties of tamale, we're also dying to try the Pork Torta, new-recipe Mole, and delicious-sounding Queso Fundido. Winter comfort food at its best!


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We're popping along to the preview of the new Soho restaurant in a couple of weeks so will report back soon.

Benito's Hat

Exciting news reaches us from Benito's Hat Mexican Kitchen in Covent Garden: to celebrate Dia de los Muertos ('Day of the Dead', the Mexican equivalent of Hallowe'en) they are laying on a special spooky menu, launching November 2nd.


Photo: ali graney

The menu will include Pan de Muerto, a traditional Mexican bread eaten during the festival, as well as inventive offerings like the Vampiro cocktail - a tangy twist on the Margarita. And of course, there will be tamales! We'll be popping to a preview tasting next week so will report back before the grand launch on November 2nd.

Follow @BenitosChat on Twitter for more updates.

Wahaca tamale news

Just got official word from Wahaca that their tamales will come in Ancho Chilli Pork with a rich dark Mole Poblano and vegetarian Rajas with roast spicy salsa varieties, and Tommi reports that they will be rolling out from tomorrow. We're very excited to be trying them out in Wahaca's new Soho restaurant at the beginning of November, so review and pics to follow soon.

Tamales at the London Restaurant Festival

A visit to Spitalfields food market, part of London Restaurant Festival week, sparked off the idea for this blog, when I saw the stall belonging to Rico Mexican Kitchen. As well as delicious salsas and beans they were serving up samples of their piping-hot delicious tamales filled with a choice of pork, chicken or cheese.



Rico will be supplying Wahaca with the tamales for their Autumn menu launching in a couple of weeks' time, and can also be found in Whole Foods Market, Kensington.

Tamales at Mestizo

Mestizo in North London, a stone's throw from Euston Station, has long been heralded as one of the best and most authentic Mexican eateries in the capital. Their tamales come with a choice of fillings: mole chicken, cheese or pork with salsa verde. The rest of the menu is excellent too - and they make a mean chilli mojito!