These days London can convincingly argue that it is the world’s culinary capital. Nobody will seriously contend that this is due to traditional British cuisine (hard as rock liver, rancid custard or mushy peas anyone?). But the city has developed an eating out scene that has become a panoply of the world’s cuisines.
However, as a half-American, there is one food that always eludes me in London: decent, simple, greasy and nasty Mexican.
No, I don’t mean ceviche, or anything served up at Wahaca. I guess what I REALLY mean is Tex-Mex.
At its base, this cuisine is simple and is built especially around the hardshell taco, filled with ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa and sometimes guacamole. It is ubiquitous stateside. The point is that the hard corn chip of the taco gives the dish a distinctive (and addictive) taste. Yet, since the closure of the late great (until it went tragically downhill in the mid-1990s) Texas Lone Star, I cannot think of one place in London I can get a good basic hardshell tacos US-style on a hungover day.
Sure, it may not be the most authentically Mexican dish, but anyone taking that view should make sure they haven’t ever enjoyed an aromatic crispy duck or chicken tikka masala – both UK-created dishes.
There is plenty of Mexican in London. A lot of it new, a lot of it quite good. But in my quest for a decent – in the case read American – taco, I have raided the menus (and venues) of both Wahaca and Westbourne Grove’s Taqueria and any taco that arrived was nothing I’d recognise stateside. Other Mexican restaurants, like Cafe Pacifico on Covent Garden, seem to be more about margaritas and drinking than any serious attempt to provide quality tex mex.
So, does anyone reading this know of a place in London where I can get a decent Tex Mex meal? If so please tell us all. If not, I am in the unfortunate position of having to conclude that the best tacos I can get in London are the Old El Paso packs at the supermarket. Which would be a truly depressing thought…
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