Cafe Pacifico
We had visited Cafe Pacifico a few times in the past already, but we hadn't been back for a while, nor written up a review.
As it was a warm day, having Mexican food seemed like a good idea, and starting with a large margarita an even better one.
Cafe Pacifico has fairly standard items on their menu, not nearly as adventurous as Polanco where we dined a few weeks ago. We started our meal to share a couple of Empanadas, with a flavourful filling and a subtle chipotle salsa on the side.
By now our margarita was empty, and we ordered another one while waiting for our main, for which my wife picked the Chicken Chimichanga with black beans. A lovely dollop of guacamole and cream was perched on top. I chose the Sea Bass and King Prawn Tacos. These came in "tempura style" (i.e.: battered and fried), and were served with grilled pineapple, some red onions, and a slightly spicy mayonnaise.
After our mains, we were eventually given the dessert menu. We were quite eying up the churros, but it took so long for staff to return that by that time we had changed our mind and decided not to have any.
In my opinion, there could have been a little more spice and flavour in most of the dishes, and service wasn't the speediest. But it's still a reasonable option for a meal after a hard day of shopping in Covent Garden. We would also have benefitted from ordering a bottle of margaritas, instead of 4 individual large glasses.
Brother Marcus
Brother Marcus has a few different locations. The one we visited is right beside South Kensington station. It's a light filled comfy restaurant, specialising in middle eastern style sharing platters.
We like eating on the earlier side, which meant that we could benefit from the "pre-show set menu". This consists of a "rip and dip platter", consisting of three dips, olives, and fluffy pittas; and then a veggie and meat mezze per person.
The dips platter arrived swiftly, with our choice of roasted beetroot hummus, baba ghanoush and taramasalata. All the dips were delicious, and the pittas were indeed fluffy. A bottle of Kokotos wine showed up soon after, although I probably should put bottle in double quotes, as it was filled from a tap. That didn't do anything against its tastiness though.
As is usual in restaurants like this, everything comes when it's ready, so our table was soon overflowing with dishes. The pan-fried halloumi was sweet and sticky with a watermelon jam. The crispy aubergine skewer, crispy, but not dry and served with a creamy labneh sprinkled with grape molasses. The calamari had a well-seasoned coating, and was served with a green aioli. A little sprinkling of chilli added a little kick. And finally, the moist and well-spiced lamb koftas came on a smooth bed of aubergine begendi (béchamel sauce).
Close to many of London's top museums, the pre-show menu was excellent value at £25 per person. We can recommend this modern place, which after a day out shuffling around old museum pieces will certainly fill your belly.
Mountain
Another hip restaurant, one, that recently had acquired a Michelin star, although they don't seem to mention that on their website. There was however a difference in prices between booking and eating.
When we arrived, we were explained that the menu consists of three sections: a selection of starters, a selection of smaller plates, and mains. They recommended getting a starter and small place each, and a main to share. We have heard this spiel before, and knew it was going to be too much (quantity of food and cost).
We did our own thing, and had a starter and small plate each instead.
For our starters, my wife chose the cured dairy beef, lovely thinly sliced meat with some almond shavings. It was perfectly moist with an earthy flavour. I picked the anchovies and cheese, which were served on sourdough bread. The cheese was whipped, with some oil sprinkled over it. As you expect from anchovies, they were salty, which the whipped cheese was a perfect accompaniment for.
As my main course I selected a mackerel with grilled peas. The mackerel came wholly grilled on a bed of caramelised chopped onions, and the aforementioned grilled peas. There was a sprinkling of herbs on top as well, to make the plate less beige. The combination of the meaty fish and caramelised onions worked great. My wife opted for an omelette, stuffed with girolle mushrooms. The omelette was fluffy, wonderfully moist, and filling!
With our meal, we also enjoyed a lovely bottle of Psarades, a Cretian white wine.
The food at Mountain was great, and the atmosphere inviting with a large open kitchen. Do make sure to request a table on the ground floor though. It is a bit on the pricier side, especially if you also share (or not) a main as well.
Polanco
We have been to this location before, back when it was called Morso, which has now moved to St. John's Wood. There are a few other restaurants next door, which we might also try at some point.
It was a very warm evening, and my wife had arrived much earlier than our table was booked for. She'd ordered a margarita to spend the time, and "convinced" me to get one too. One showed up right when I entered the cosy restaurant. We were on the earlier side and it was mostly empty.
Polanco serves contemporary Mexican food, and their menu consists of tacos and small plates to share. We ordered baja fish tacos, a quesadilla rustica, green chicken enchiladas, and tortilla chips with guacamole to enjoy while we were waiting.
With our food, we also got a bottle of white wine. Usually we would probably have had beer, but their beer selection was really only the boring macro lagers.
The guacamole was well-made, and a little spicy. Smooth, but still with some crunchy bits. The green chicken enchiladas were doused in a slightly spicy green sauce. A dollop of cream on top smoothed things out. My favourite were the fish tacos — crispy fried fish, served with chipotle mayonnaise and habanero sauce, and topped with pickled cabbage. The rustic part of the quesadilla consisted of molten cheese, shopped cherry tomatoes, a habanero sauce, and some cream.
All the dishes were a little spicy, but not so much that it overpowered. By the time we were done with our meal, the restaurant was buzzing with nearly every table occupied.
Turmeric Kitchen
On the hottest Friday of the year (so far) we found ourselves at Turmeric Kitchen. Situated inside The Chilworth Hotel, a stone throw away from Paddington station.
It was quite dark inside, with little natural light, and wood panelled walls. The decor is more fitting for a winter's meal than a bright summer's day.
The menu is fairly varied, with some traditional dishes such as Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) and Biryanis, but there are also some more interesting dishes — and an "around the world" section including burgers, fish and chips, and steak.
As a starter, we shared the Avocado Bombs, spicy smashed avocado with mustard seats and deep-fried, like bitterballen. They were served with a beetroot chutney and a pomegranate seed. A tasty appetiser.
As my main meal, my wife ordered the aforementioned Murgh Makhani, with some plain naans on the side. The curry was a little spicy, which I hadn't expected for a butter chicken. But it wasn't overpowering and left a nice warmth in the mouth. I opted for the Laal Maas, a slow cooked spicy lamb curry. I paired that with a pilau rice. The curry was tender and had just the right amount of heat.
Normally we would have had a beer with curry, but the selection was poor. There were only small bottles of macro brewery beers with ridiculous prices. We had a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc instead. A bit odd, but it worked fairly well.
To conclude our meal, we finished with a sorbet — my wife had the raspberry, and I had the mango. The serving (one scoop) was disappointingly small for the price.
After having refreshed, we went back outside into the heat for some exiting beers at "The Bear", a nearby pub.
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