The murmurs of anticipation came good and Edinburgh recently welcomed Thomasina Miers’ Mexican street food emporium, Wahaca. True to its country of inspiration, the interior is a riot of colour in geo patterns and motifs.
My pal Steph and I visited not long after its opening, to find a place so rammed it teetered on the brink of chaos but arguably in a good buzzy way. Pre-dinner drinks were a bit of a wait, but the pucker-up tequila Margaritas made it worthwhile.
The extensive menu covers nibbles to sharing plates and main-course sized options, so for first-timers, it can take a while to navigate the options and food arrives as it’s ready.
We started with guacamole served with Chicharrón style puffed pork scratchings. The green guac was chunky and tasty, with a good squeeze of lime. The scratchings a decent crispy carrier but lacked their own seasoning.
We selected a good variety of the smaller dishes, and most delivered bags of fresh flavour. Sweet potatoes in mojo de ajo were so moreish they almost stole the show, radiating epic levels of garlic.
A quesadilla with their own British-made chorizo and potato was packed with smoky flavour, oozy cheese; a snack you could imagine scoffing from a little street vendor under sunny skies.
Little round corn tostadas with corn, black bean & guacamole were light and bright with chili and a sprinkling of baby coriander. Taco Tuesday was well represented with the MSC-sourced cod ‘Baja tacos’. Wrapped in a corn and flour tortilla, the soft white fish had an Impressively crunchy batter. These seemed a bit more indulgent, oozing with a creamy chipotle mayo, and thinly-sliced slaw.
Plantain tacos didn’t really do it for me, the filling too squishy and sweet and clashing with the fiery chili seasoning. Crispy cigar-like poached chicken taquitos with their lime, chili and Lancashire cheese were ones to try again.
We know the Mayans had a thing with chocolate, and Wahaca’s desserts didn’t let them down. Cricket flour chocolate brownie wasn’t just for the insect insect-curious. Texture a tad grainier than regular flour, but otherwise, this was a stonking brownie, with scoop of vanilla. Dry, light churros were served alongside a demitasse of dark, rich chocolate sauce. Another hit.
Wahaca is a sensory experience: mouth zingy with fresh flavours, head a little tipsy from tequila, ears filled with Latin beats.Don’t go expecting a quiet night, but do head along for good fast food and great cocktails!
Wahaca
16 South St Andrew Street
Edinburgh
EH2 2AU
Tel: 0131 202 6850
http://www.wahaca.co.uk/locations/edinburgh/
Opening hours:
12noon – 11pm Mon – Sat
12noon – 10pm – Sun
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