First Mexican restaurant opens in St. Martin's Courtyard

23rd June 2010, 12:41pm

A new gourmet dining experience that promises to revolutionise the way British diners think about food from Mexico has launched in central London this week.

Cantina Laredo, which can seat 220 people, will be one of the first Mexican restaurants in St. Martin's Courtyard, a new shopping destination for Londoners and visitors to Covent Garden in London's West End.

Each of the restaurant's 20 cooking sauces are made from scratch every day. This includes its spicy mole sauce - a Mexican favourite personalised by the restaurant and made with 16 different ingredients including dried chilli peppers, toasted nuts and 100% cocoa Mexican chocolate.

The venture's roasted tomatillo and roasted tomato salsa take up to 40 minutes to produce from scratch, and the guacamole is freshly prepared for guests at the table using ripe avocado, freshly chopped coriander, chilli pepper, red onion, tomatoes and a secret combination of spices.

Other dishes on the menu include ceviche (a traditional dish of tiger prawns, grey mullet and bay scallops, marinated in lime juice and served with a selection of vegetables and spices), and the Camaron Poblano Asada (a Mexican poblano pepper filled with a mixture of sautéed tiger prawns, mushrooms, onions and cheese and wrapped with a grilled skirt steak on a bed of chimichurri sauce).

Guests can complete their meal with a selection of desserts, such as home-baked Mexican brownies or apple pie served with a brandy butter sauce and cinnamon ice-cream.

To complement the meal, an extensive drinks list is available, with wines selected by Richard Bampfield, master of wines.

Related Articles:

• 23 Aug 2010 - Cantina Laredo introduces two new menus