The start of summer at Wahaca

Is there an argument that winter is better than summer? Is there someone out there who would dare to say that they enjoy December and January more than June and July? I suppose there must be, but there is no way this Floridian is buying it. In the summer we have the opportunity to be outside, to exercise more, to wear frocks and paint our toenails, to enjoy a glowing, healthy tan, to drink cider in the park, and of course to eat the fresh foods of the season.

This year, for me, the beginning of the summer will not be marked by the June solstice. The 2010 summer officially started when one of my favourite restaurants in London, Wahaca, launched its summer menu and unveiled new items like grilled cactus tacos and chile relleno, and brought back my all-time favourites, the broad bean quesadilla and shrimp ceviche tostadas.

To celebrate the launch of their rejuvenated summer menu, and probably also because Mark Selby and Thomasina Miers are restaurateurs with a conscience, Wahaca will donate 20p of every dish purchased from the “Streetfood Specials” section of the menu to the ednica charity, helping to educate street kids in Mexico city.

And let me tell you folks, Thomasina has done it again with the new Streetfood Specials by introducing some delicious items to the menu which are pretty foreign to English taste buds.

Obviously inspired by her experiences of cooking and travelling through Mexico, the grilled cactus tacos with courgette and cheese are light and delicious, and have a unique flavour to any other vegetable I’ve tried. The corn bread and mole sauce is an interesting treat, with the right amount of sweet and savoury flavours and just a hint of chocolate. I would order this item as a dessert… that is, if you can pass on the creamy, heavenly flan.

Some other new dishes introduced for summer which are also quite healthy include the chicken salad tostadas with toasted pumpkin seeds and the fresh summer frueza salad with marinated beetroot, summer peas and feta cheese. All washed down with a cold cerveza, of course.

You can imagine my excitement as I dove into the more familiar dishes like the coveted broad bean and feta cheese quesadilla and the cold, fresh shrimp cevhice tostadas which are almost as refreshing as the previously mentioned cerveza.

Wahaca has really stepped it up on the dessert menu for summer as well. Surprisingly, I don’t care for the churros dipped in chocolate (I mean, I’ll eat them…) which seem to be a fan favourite. I went for the passion fruit and hibiscus jelly which was light and sweet without being too sugary and I had a few bites of the creamy, carmely flan – two great desserts to end a fresh, light summer meal.

If you have not already tried the Wahaca summer menu, I highly suggest you do. They have three locations: one in Covent Garden, one in Westfield Shopping Centre and one in Canary Wharf. In terms of a sit down restaurant, their summer menu is the best Mexican food in London, and as I was saying to one of the owners, Mark Selby: no matter what, you will always be pleasantly surprised when they present the bill. Even if you go for a round or two of tequila.

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