Wahaca

When Thomasina Myers won Masterchef and announced that she would open a Mexican street food restaurant I was impressed by the ambition. Could she, or indeed would she do it? Well she did, not just once but eventually creating a chain of restaurants that have now reached Brighton.
I have in the past been somewhat dismissive of Mexican cuisine, but it would seem that this was my mistake, based on some pretty poor offerings in the past. Over the last few years I have grown to like it far more.
Wahaca has confirmed that there is far more to Mexican food than I had ever thought. I went along with Ms McD for a Saturday lunch and things kicked off well with an excellent margarita and a mojito. Our waiter, Jordan, was delightful and we were very impressed by the speed of the service, ideal at lunchtime yes, but there was no pressure to rush either.

The menu is fairly long and if I had one criticism, rather difficult to navigate, the design could be clearer in my view and although there are guides they are not that easy to find. What we did find was a set menu feast that seemed like a great option for novices – and it certainly was.
Of course that was before Jordan popped the Post-it of daily specials on the table. Well I could not resist a Cornish crab taco so we added that to the feast.
Food arrives as and when it is ready, not a problem for two hungry people and the first dish to arrive was corn bread with honey butter, what a revelation, I want it often. What followed was truly delicious and very satisfying. We loved the scallop & MSC shrimp ceviche, a vibrant and piquant dish. The pork pibil tacos were loaded with succulent spicy meat and the chipotle chicken quesadilla was a satisfyingly unctuous delight.

Ms McDactus loved the cactus & courgette tacos but I preferred the summer pea & mint empanadas, I could have eaten them over and over again, and I confess to making a pig of myself with both the sweet potatoes and finally the churros which arrived with both the rich chocolate sauce and a cup of the dulce de leche.
After the cocktails we drank a rich beer and finished with great coffee (I stirred my square of chilli chocolate into my latte to great effect). The feast at 34 was generous and a great way to find your footing and next time I plan to go off piste – and have more of those empanadas.

Wahaca
160 – 161 North Street, Brighton BN1 1EZ
01273 934763
wahaca.co.uk