The Long Road to Mexico

While London is arguably the most international city in the world, it apparently lacks a bit in one area.  

Mexican food.

As one of my dear ex-pat friends in London loves Mexican food, we set out on a long road to try what was rumoured to be the best Mexican food in town.  As a slight aside, I'm famous for travelling in rather cushy style - preferring car service or taxis to anything else.  That said I had an errand to run in the neighborhood, and as Mapquest told me that it was a 1/3 mile walk between the 2 places, I endeavored to find the restaurant on my own.  The 1/3 mile turned into a full mile as street signs were rare and the streets in the heart of Covent Garden are really more like alleys....but eventually (and only asking for help once) I managed to find my way, with one dozen divine fairy cakes in tow for my niece and nephew back in the US purchased at the Primrose Bakery in Covent Garden.  http://www.primrosebakery.org.uk/.  It is a sweet and darling place that is well worth a visit!

Now, back to Mexico....

Wahaca, http://www.wahaca.co.uk/html/1_restaurants.html, is a casual restaurant tucked away on one of the aforementioned narrow, alleylike streets in Covent Garden.  It does not take reservations (which as you might imagine clearly did not thrill me) and, apparently, ALWAYS has a long line for a table.

We queued up with the throngs of 20 somethings for our table, and even on a weeknight, we waited for one hour.  (In full disclosure, I hit my breaking point at 55 ish minutes, proclaiming that they had 5 more minutes before we had to make a different choice.  Fortunately, the table gods must have heard me, because we were seated almost immediately thereafter).

The concept is Mexican market, and one can choose from small plates (taquitos, quesedillas, etc) or full sized plates.  We opted for the smaller plates including the guacamole,frijoles con crema,  tortilla soup with chicken (which was a thick, delicious tomato based soup with chunks of avocado, charred onion and tender chicken), mushroom and feta taquitos, chicken quesedillas and steak and chicken tacos.  Add a bit of aqua fresca, Negra Modela beer and vanilla ice cream with roasted pumpkin seeds and caramel sauce, and the hour long wait faded into memory and we were well-sated and happy.  

I don't love waiting on line....and I'd like to pretend that being around all of those 20 somethings made me feel like a young girl of 35 again (it clearly did not!)... but would I go back?  

Absolutely....and especially now that I know the way.

Until next time....  XOXO!