Wahaca

Westfield Shopping Centre,  W12 7GB

Wahaca is founded by Masterchef winner, Thomasina Miers, and serves Mexican street food. My  friend was keen to try it for a long time so we finally decided to go for lunch at one of their branches in Westfield. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated, split into two floors with an outdoor terrace. The design is simple with wooden and stone interior, large overhanging lights and a view into the kitchen based at the back of the restaurant. The mexican masks and blackboards displaying different types of tequila was a lovely touch and added to the authenticity of the restaurant.

For drinks, I decided to have the Horchata which is an almond and rice-milk drink topped with cinnamon which was lovely. My friend opted for the Citrus Fizz.

Drinks: Citrus Fizz and Horchata

For our main, my friend ordered the grilled chicken which was served with a side salad and coriander, onion and garlic rice. She also ordered the Chicken Guajillo Toastada which was essentially a chicken salad on some crispy tortillas but very light and refreshing.

Marinated, grilled chicken with green rice and salad

Chicken Guajillo Toastada

For my main, I decided to choose a few street food dishes. One dish I chose was the Queso Fundido which was a fondue of cactus, onions and cheese and served with tortillas. I expected the dish to be in a bubbling pot with crisp tortillas to dip but was surprised when it was served. In fact, we weren't sure what it was and whether the waitress had given us the wrong dish! It was very messy to eat with the soft tortilla so I left that and just ate the cheesy concoction instead. It was really delicious; cheesy with a spicy kick. The cactus has a good texture too. Yum.

Queso Fundido

I also ordered the Huitlacoche Quesadilla which is had a filling of huitlacoche, mushroom, sweetcorn and cheese sandwiched between two toasted tortillas. According to Wikipedia, huitlacoche, or corn smut (what?!), is a fungus which grows on corn. Unfortunately, I couldn't really taste anything other than mushroom and the occasional sweetcorn. Hum.

Huitlacoche Quesadilla

Finally, I got the Pork pibil taco which was tender and well flavoured.

Pork pibil taco

The bill came to £30 for the both of us and we left full and content. The service was speedy and friendly and we were given free chilli seeds to grow at the end of our meal. The fast service, good food and relaxed atmosphere makes Wahaca a good place for a casual lunch.

Food = 7/10
Service = 7/10
Atmosphere = 7/10
Recommend? Yes