Mestizo, Euston

Mexican food has an interesting reputation. I’ve never been able to completely pin down the difference between the various meals that come wrapped in a flour or corn tortilla. Sure, I know that traditionally a burrito is with rice, a fajita has the vegetables cooked with the meat and a taco is eaten open, but when you start to get into the technicalities it gets a little vague. An enchilada is (as I see it), basically just a baked burrito with various additions on top of it, and a chimichanga is an artery-clogging deep fried version of the fast food favourite.

For many people, Mexican food starts and stops at Old El Paso kits and Tortilla take-outs. The proliferation of ‘tex-mex’ has served to cover up and mask a cuisine of surprising complexity. Mexico is a colossal country, with a rich culinary history, from the classic peasant dish of refried beans, all the way to the complex, million-ingredient moles that get pulled out for festive occasions.

I’m at Mestizo, a convivial, high-class Mexican joint near Euston for the Dia de Muertos, the Mexican celebration of the dead. Mestizo specialise in traditional Mexican food, as well as a truly startling array of tequilas and margaritas (including a fantastic, crisp cucumber margarita that serves to cut through some of the calories that come with a three course meal). The restaurant is decked out festively, with a colossal shrine dominating the centre of the room, replete with traditional skulls and dolls, photographs, and knick-knacks from the other side of the Atlantic. It’s a bit like a Central American Christmas tree, with family touches from the owner and his long-term staff strewn throughout.

The best of the starters is the prawn ceviche. Aggressively tart, resplendent with raw garlic, tomato and fresh coriander, it announces itself brightly to your pallet. Tamales; steamed fillings in cornhusks are an interesting addition but lack the wow-factor of the ceviche. A nice touch is the homemade tortilla chips that we use to mop up associated sauces and dips.

The main course is all about the mole. Mole is the ancient word for mix. Its most common representative is ‘guaca’mole, which I’m not going to explain. Moles can vary in complexity, from a simple four or five ingredient dish to examples containing 40 or 50 different ingredients. Mestizo creates each sauce fresh daily during the festival. I go for the ‘Cordero en mole amarillo’, lamb shank, cooked in a tempestuous yellow mole of chile guajillo, cumin, garlic and onion. The sticky, fatty meat of the lamb shears delicately off the bone beneath the assault of my knife. The sauce is almost too rich, pungent and redolent with smokiness. I finish with a contented slump, feeling bloated but satisfied.

The dessert is an unexpected treat; Pan de Muerto is a simple, fluffy bread with cinnamon sugar has a texture reminiscent of pannetone. We have it with thick, dark Mexican coffee with extra sugar. After the complexity of the earlier courses, it’s a welcome, simple treat with which to finish.

Mestizo
103 Hampstead Road
Euston
NW1 3EL

Tel: 020 7387 4064