There’s a dilemma with Fonda, the new restaurant from Santiago Lastra of KOL fame. The multi-starred chef has opened his second London restaurant on Heddon Street, joining the likes of Sabor, Casa do Frango and JKS's Ambassadors Clubhouse in this now foodie enclave tucked off Regent Street.
It’s a dilemma seen time and time again when a talented chef, whose career has been firmly in the Michelin world of fine dining, turns their hand to a more casual offering. All the press around Fonda, and indeed the script the servers have been briefed to deliver table side, is all about informality and that the food here is modelled on a meal you might get in someone’s house in Mexico.
Currently value or, at least perceived value, is playing a very big role in dining out in this country. Value doesn’t have to mean cheap. It’s clear that customers are willing to dig deep and spend if the experience is great. But the problem with Fonda is that their informal and casual messaging is at odds with a meal where every dish is explained to you and you are looking at £100 a head.
Lastra’s ethos at his restaurants is all on sourcing produce from within the UK. Avocados and citrus fruit are not permitted in the kitchen - a bold statement for a Mexican restaurant and one that should be celebrated, especially when it comes to locally sourcing produce and sustainability. It’s admirable and one could say a game changer in how to create flavours from local produce.
We ordered queso de aro to start - a dish of fresh cheese with martajada sauce and described on the menu as coming with tortillas. Plural. There were three of us, and our dish came with one tortilla. It was a bit like serving a table some butter with one slice of bread.
Baja fish tacos were beautifully served - waiting to be rolled up and eaten. £8 of edible joy. But is one taco ever enough? We would have liked two, perhaps even three. An aged ribeye with grilled cheese taco was delivered with a tale of how this is a popular snack of late-night drunken revellers leaving the nightclubs in Mexico. It is a perfect drinking snack – but at £12 a pop? You’ve got yourself a very expensive equivalent of a late-night kebab as you’re going to want more than one.
The gringa - lobster with Spenwood cheese in a wheat tortilla - tasted only of grilled cheese. Not an issue in itself but when it comes with a price tag of £34 you want to taste lobster. But, Scottish sea trout with butternut squash and aquachile was pleasant, and charred monkfish with ratte potato and spicy kelp butter (as a main) showcased a meal from a kitchen that uses quality ingredients and knows what it’s doing.
The restaurant is backed by group MJMK (KOL, Lisboeta etc), and the interior looks expensive with bespoke crockery, glassware and tableware showing no expense has been spared. While it’s not over designed, it does not create an air of informality. The Mexican word ‘fonda’ means a small family run restaurant or canteen. This Fonda feels like neither. It all feels too polished and stiff.
From our table we could see into Sabor - a restaurant that serves excellent food in a fun, vibrant and casual setting. We’re just not so sure we could say the same if we were looking from the outside into Fonda.
