Tarun Mahotri and Arjun Waney's Peyote to launch
Tarun Mahotri and Arjun Waney's new Mexican restaurant Peyote officially opened in Mayfair last week.
The 100-seat, modern Mexican restaurant will showcase the variety and complexity of indigenous Mexican ingredients, with both classic and modern dishes and drinks.
It promises a refined interpretation of Mexican cuisine, which has been developed in consultation with some of Mexico City's top chefs.
Dishes on the menu include: ensalada de nopales (cactus salad, £9); a range of ceviche dishes; tacos such as tinga de pollo (chicken tinga, £9); and quesadillas such as tempura de camaron (prawn tempura, £10).
Mains include: polla lechal, salsa de jalapeno y cebolla (baby chicken, onion jalapeno salsa, £19); chuleta de cordero, menta y habanero (lamb cutlets, mint habanero); and stone bass, salsa guajillo (stone bass, guajillo sauce, £22).
All desserts are £7.50.
Eduardo GarcÁa of the MÁ¡ximo Bistro in Mexico City has partnered with Mahrotri; he collaborated on the menu composition and worked with head chef Hili San (previously at Buddha Bar in Knightsbridge and Nobu Park Lane). San also trained with Mexican cuisine specialist chef Monica Solis, and enjoyed a stint with chef Enrique Olvera of Pujol in Mexico City.
The international wine list comprises 100 bins (from £26), with a dozen by the glass (from £6), and the bar will feature around 100 tequilas and mezcal.
The restaurant has been designed by David D'Almada and the team at Sagrada, with input from Mahrotri, and features a mix of banquette seating on both levels, as well as a Taco Bar (with a dozen stools) and Chef's Table for up to 12 on the downstairs level. (No reservations are required for the Taco Bar but the full menu is available there).
There are also 20 'tequila lockers' for private premium tequila bottle storage. Artistic skulls present a bold design motif, with a dozen of them, beaded by the Huichol tribe, placed along one wall.
Peyote is the colloquial name for a small cactus, native to the Chihuahuan desert. Known for its psychoactive properties when ingested, peyote has a long history of ritualistic and medicinal use in Mexico.
