Paladar, Latin American food in London, review

It’s the most wonderful time of the year when London’s best restaurants and eateries pull out all the stops to deliver magical food and tipples to let us know that Christmas is finally here. From festive afternoon teas to Christmas lunches and dinners, I’m posting a series of reviews featuring London’s Best Festive Menus. Next up is the Festive Menu at Paladar in South Bank, London.

A short walk away from London Waterloo station, Paladar is a vibrant restaurant that takes complete inspiration from the magical flavours and ingredients of Latin America. Popular amongst tourists from the Spanish speaking region, the restaurant oozes Latino charm, from the beautiful changing art collection adoring the walls and painted by South American artists, the gorgeous colourful mural that screams exotica, the authentic menu created by their Colombian chef, right down to the selections of wines and spirits that are all exclusively South American.

Their cocktails are also fabulous, with plenty of tequila, pisco and mezcal concoctions to choose from. Their Pisco Sour is highly recommended, incredibly fresh and tangy and one of the best in London for sure.

The restaurant’s concept is around sharing plates and their Festive Sharing Meal for minimum of four guests includes around 10 of their fabulous small and large plates including - Green Plantain crisps with taquero guacamole, Palm heart tiradito with truffle and chile de arbol oil and fried mote, Seared coconut-chilli prawns on blue corn tortilla with mango salsa, and Grilled chicken skewers with mole Poblano and pickled red onion. It’s a great alternative festive menu but as there were only two of us we played it safe and ordered just a few of the dishes.

The first round was Crispy Pork Belly Lettuce Tacos with Agave & Sriracha Chilli Sauce Reduction, Cassava Fritters with Mora Compote & Guava Sauce, and Tuna Tartare & Quinoa Served with Taro Crisps And Chipotle Mayonnaise.

Right off the bat, the tuna was incredible. It was cured in a salt and lime concoction that gave it a lovely tangy flavour and the texture was soft and meaty. The white quinoa worked perfectly with the tuna and the chipotle mayonnaise gave the dish some much needed wetness.

The cassava fritters were cooked perfectly and were lovely and soft inside. I loved dipping it onto the sweet and tangy guava sauce which added another flavour dimension.

The second round was Sea Bream Fillet Tamal, Grilled Chicken Skewers with Mole Poblano & Pickled Red Onion, and Roast Aubergine & Fried Beans With Salsa Negra, Maya Hummus. The Sea Bream was oven roasted in a banana leaf and cooked with incredible including crushed plantain, peanut, coconut flakes, and yuzu & lulu foam. The fish itself was flaky and tender, and with the other ingredients it was simply a flavour sensation. I loved this dish and if this is what Latin American food is all about then I would happily eat it everyday.

One of my favourite dishes of the night to my surprise was the roast aubergine. A half roasted aubergine surrounded by a thick layer of fried beans doesn’t sound all that appealing yet it was delicious. The fried beans especially were incredibly moreish and with the soft aubergine flesh was really a joy to eat.

To finish our Latin American adventure, we chose the Banana & Chocolate Bread Pudding and Purple Corn Churros. Churros are of course a popular South American desert and I adore them. Crunchy, soft, fluffy, and covered in lots and lots of sugar. These churros looked a little different to my idea of a churro but they tasted great, I would say more crunchy and a little denser than normal churros but with their own unique flavour. Remember to dip them religiously into the spicy and rich chocolate & ancho chilli sauce and the decadent coffee dulce de leche. Divine.

The banana and chocolate bread pudding was more like a banana cake and packed with chopped bananas that were almost caramelized to give it even more sweetness. A really good pudding, especially with the gorgeous smoked cinnamon ice cream that accompanied it. With a couple of exotic dessert cocktails, it was a great finish to a wonderful dining adventure.

Price

The Festive Sharing Meal is served at lunch and dinner for a minimum of four guests and is available between 25 November and 21 December 2019. Priced at £35 per person.

The normal menu has a range of small and large plates with prices on average around £8-£12. 6-7 dishes between two is recommended.

Overall?

Paladar is a fabulous little restaurant that is full of Latin American flair and colour. The food looks and tastes unique with lots of surprising flavours to make the dining experience a real adventure. The festive menu is great value for money and having tried many of the dishes I highly recommend giving it a try for a festive menu different from the norm. Just don’t forget to order a few of those fabulous exotic cocktails...