Late November 2023 noticed the launch of Ixchel, the extremely anticipated Mexican restaurant and Tequila bar that opened within the coronary heart of Chelsea from Fairbairn Capital, providing a Tulum-inspired expertise. That includes a tapas-style menu curated by Mexican-born Head Chef Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez, who has a formidable background, together with work at Michelin-starred Brat in Shoreditch. Ixchel’s menu showcases a variety of flavours and aromas, emphasising recent, domestically sourced elements to reinterpret conventional Mexican dishes like ceviches, tacos, and tostadas and TLE’s Simon Rumley lately skilled the restaurant. Learn onto uncover extra.
Instantly noticeable from its King’s Street exterior, Ixchel’s inside is hidden from the general public by ceiling-to-floor opaque cream curtains. Not solely does this distinctive conceit shroud the Mexican restaurant in an intriguing thriller nevertheless it creates a digital cocoon, an oasis of insularity for diners to overlook London’s hustle and to focus as a substitute on the feast inside. Impressed by Tulum’s magnificence and tranquillity (the non-tourist half, naturally), Ixchel’s inside design is idiosyncratic for London however considerate and stylish.
Pastel-coloured and summary wall murals, poured concrete ground, cacti, jungle greenery, and a bamboo ceiling evocative of an Indian chief’s jungle residence all conjure up the precise international vacation spot. Trance-like dance music blends into the background for an environment which is noticeably calming and impressively collected all through the night.
While perusing the menu we snack on spherical, heat Totopos (corn chips) with a guacamole dip. Finely minimize coriander, delicate tomato chunks and lime juice complement a texture which mixes easily with smashed avocado. I drink Tequila Bitter which is smoky, infused with amaretto and adorned with a layer of egg white; to not be bolted however sipped slowly. My good friend opts for a Spicy Margarita which is extra refreshing and adorned with freshly minimize jalapeño strips for an general zingy, tickly tang.
The ‘Para Picar’ (for snacking) are sharing dishes and works completely for 2. The Crab Tostada is an absolute deal with. Embellished with a smattering of inexperienced leaves and colored petals, the white crab meat is stringy and succulent. The spherical tostadas present the crab with a crunchy base and texture and it’s all enhanced by small dollops of chipotle mayonnaise. Beware the black paste although. It is available in a black pinch bowl and, by English requirements, is brow-dropping, sweat-inducing and would possibly properly blow your head off for those who entertain greater than a smidgeon.
The 2 Pork Ribs are flavoured with a candy BBQ sauce, accompanied by finely chopped chives and a parsley and mint salad. The pork actually drops off its bone, disintegrates on the plate and melts within the mouth. There’s additionally chunk of fats to offer a viscous vitality and a few of the meat is charred to offer an occasional however pleasing textural crunch. That is nothing wanting sensational.
The parts are luxurious and wealthy so we decide to share one ‘Del Comal’ – from the griddle. Two flour tacos are folded over one another and reasonably than the smoothness which defines most tacos, these are fried in oil and are possessed with a rougher, sometimes crispier texture. Inside, impressively sized chunks of king prawn collaborate with refried beans and dripping melted cheese sauce to render the Sauteed Prawn Quesadilla as Mexican consolation meals at its finest.
The extent of service is simply as spectacular because the meals and our waiter, Sukumar, goes approach past the decision of responsibility not solely as a result of it’s his birthday but in addition as a result of his spouse is moments away from giving beginning. A relentless smile lights up his face and he gives an in-depth information of the menu and the restaurant’s ethos. Sukumar shreds the impressively sized quick rib for us and we make our personal tacos which evoke these from Mexican avenue distributors and market stalls in the absolute best approach.
The adobo sauce and a pineapple and coriander salsa add a respectively smoky and fruity flavour to the dripping ribs. Though the portion is greater than massive sufficient for 2, we order two sides (De La Milpa): Fideo Seca, a curious however comforting combination of bitter cream, cheese and silky pasta the dimensions of rice grains and White Hominy Esquites, an upmarket however moreish model of the road basic.
The menu is the brainchild of chef and Mexico Metropolis native Ximena Gayosso Gonzalez. After working underneath Martha Ortiz at Dulce Patria in her house metropolis, she defected to London six years in the past and hasn’t regarded again. She appears remarkably recent and comfortable after a protracted night time within the kitchen and explains that the inspiration for her menu comes from a combination of childhood recollections and travelling the size and breadth of her place of origin. The concept is to combine consolation meals with energetic flavours.
Tres Leches to Mexico is what Tiramisu is to Italy; an obligation to order and luxuriate in. The spongy desert is product of entire milk, condensed milk and evaporated milk. Ours is completely moist and a thumbful of chopped strawberries are hidden under the whipped cream for a full of life however recent shock.
The dish can also be adorned with meringue wafers for surprising crunch worth. We additionally share a Mexican Flan which is coffee-inspired and topped with Licor 43, a golden-hued kind desert wine concocted from 43 completely different herbs and spices. The liquor’s often gold hue is overpowered by the flan’s wealthy, darkish brown and the flan is the closest anybody will ever come to consuming espresso. Its energy is a shock at first however compelling and a should for any espresso lover. It’s a strong technique to finish a concurrently wealthy however delicate and charming meal.
