Team behind Wahaca to launch new Mexico-US diner
The team behind London-based Mexican street food restaurants Wahaca is to launch a Mexican diner at London's Old Truman Brewery, near Shoreditch.
DF/Mexico (named after the Mexican name for the country's capital, the Distrito Federal) is expected to open on 24 July, and has been designed to reflect the DF's atmosphere, including booth seating, lots of green plants, steel, concrete, glass and worn leather.
The 90-cover diner will serve dishes inspired by the way in which US and Mexican food influence each other, a culinary phenomenon that impressed Wahaca founders Thomasina Miers and Mark Selby during their recent travels around said countries.
The new site's dishes have been created in homage to this Mexican-US influence, and will include "dirty tortas" - four-hour-cooked chilli beef, pibil pork or ancho mushrooms stuffed in a toasted brioche bun with smashed avocado and cucumber pickle.
There will also be burritos with fillings such as slow-cooked pork with refried beans and red slaw, or roasted vegetables with habanero and pumpkin seed mayo; sharing boards with options such as carne con chilli, and steak and cheese "alambres"; salads such as quinoa with roast sweet potato and feta, and fish dishes such as the panko-crumbed cod tacos.
Classic sides will include cups of corn and skin-on Mexican fries, plus desserts such as soft-serve ice-cream topped with dulce de leche, peanut brittle, passion fruit or popping candy.
Locally-sourced beers will also appear on the menu, including a DF House Pale Ale from Brixton Brewery, and a selection of Mexican options. Cocktails on offer will include frozen tequila margaritas such as the classic, with passion fruit, or raspberry and hibiscus.
Co-creator Thomasina Miers, who lived in Mexico, won BBC Two's MasterChef 2005 and worked with Skye Gyngell at Petersham Nurseries before launching Wahaca, said she and co-founder Selby "love the eclecticism of Shoreditch".
She added: "A short-term residency gave us the opportunity to test out something we were excited about; a diner to reflect the enterprising heart of Mexico, with bold flavours and fresh ingredients."
Miers' other group, Wahaca, currently runs to 13 sites across London and seeks to serve food directly inspired by Mexican street trends. She also opened takeaway burrito site, Burrito Mama, in London's One New Change, in October last year.
Caterer and Hotelkeeper 100: Mark Selby and Thomasina Miers, Wahaca >>
