Tamale Tuesdays at Taquiera

Thanks to some Twitter intel, we've found out that Taquiera is currently offering Tamale Tuesdays - all day tamales every Tuesday. Get thee to Notting Hill!

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.

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!


(click to enlarge)
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!