Los Lobos

Last night for dinner, we excitedly went to the soft opening of Los Lobos here in London. We knew a taco place from the Wolfe brothers (responsible for The Early Bird) was in the works, and had our eyes peeled for any mention of it. Literally everything was delightful, and I cannot wait until the restaurant opens for regular service. Allow me to start with the most fabulous part of the meal: Churros. They were served with a tasty, rich chocolate ganache that was spicy and sweet. Every table around us ordered them first, and was really making sure they got it all - so were we. The churros were fresh, hot and thickly covered in cinnamon sugar. This was really the perfect way to end a meal, and left such a great taste in our mouths about the whole experience.

Churros rolled in cinnamon sugar with spicy chocolate ganache

I guess we can go back to the top? First we ordered some cocktails. I opted for the Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita, while Scott went for the Del Sur Hospitality - tequila, pineapple, lime & grenadine. Scott was telling me how complex his drink was with lots of flavours, and could only nod. The mixture of tequila, pineapple and jalapeno was a shockingly good combination. It was spicy and sweet, not too tart. The Del Sur was sweet as well, disappearing before we got our tacos.

Pineapple Jalapeno Margarita & Del Sur Hospitality (half already consumed)

The first food we ordered was the Jalapeno Rellano, which I quickly proceeded to pronounce incorrectly while Scott threw me to the wolves (los lobos, in spanish). Apparently two L's in a row is a little different than in English. Whoops. The mole was the first thing I tasted - it was spicy and rich, not too sweet. The jalapenos were cooked, but not overdone or mushy. The white cheese inside was oozing out when you sliced into them, but still made for easy bites. The cornmeal was seasoned well, leaving us very excited for everything still to come.

Jalapeno Rellano - stuffed with monerey jack, cornmeal battered, served with Lobos mole

Next, we got into the tacos. Scott ordered the Carnita and Beef Cheek. I also wanted Beef Cheek and Pork Belly (my weakness). As a cilantro-hater, it was a little tricky to navigate the Taco section of the menu, and as it turns out, some items that didn't explicitly list cilantro still had it in there, which was a little disappointing. Things that may have been delicious taste like they are slathered in dish soap. The Carnita taco included pineapple pico, cilantro, sour cream, and chicharron. It was dripping, and according to Scott, delicious. The Beef Cheek taco we both had, and was great - including pickled red onion, queso fresco, and horseradish. It also had some unlisted green onion garnish that was a nice addition. The meat was very tender and the sauce was savory. Now the star: Pork Belly. This taco included lime sour cream, radish, pickled and fresh jalapeno. The meat was crispy, salty, and very meaty. The combination of fresh and pickled jalapenos in sour cream was really tasty. In reality, I want 6 of these tacos a day, but was happy I got to experience this one.

Tacos, (clockwise from top left): Carnita, Beef Cheek, Beef, Cheek, Pork Belly

There was also a "La Carne" section of the menu, featuring different prepared meats. We decided to try the Battered Cod, since the cod taco had included cilantro, but none was listed here. Good joke - it was on a bean salad filled with cilantro, with two leaves draped over it. So we split the fish, and Scott enjoyed the rest. The fish itself was perfectly cooked, hot, flaky, and fresh. The batter was very good and well-seasoned. Scott was loving the rest all mixed together.

Battered Cod - whipped avocado, black beans, tomato

We figured we still had room and there were more tacos to try, so we ordered the Beef Tongue for Scott and Yuca for me. The Beef Tongue included radish, salsa, and iceberg lettuce, while the yuca came with pico de gallo, cumin crema, and green onion. I guess I should have known pico de gallo would have cilantro, but I didn't, nor did the menu remind me. I have less good things to say about that. I think it was probably good, if it wasn't soapy. Scott was loving the beef tongue and tossed me a little bit of meat to try. It was really tender, almost like salami in texture.

Beef Tongue & Yuca Tacos

The interior of the restaurant is a piece of art (by Stu Dead from Playdead Cult), with things to look at in every corner. We got the rundown from the server, anything we ordered would be brought out as it was ready. They weren't offering substitutions unless there's an allergy - yes, that includes cilantro. I felt annoying the second I heard the table next to us also ask about cilantro, but also... a lot of people don't like cilantro. It was annoying that two things I ordered that didn't specify cilantro on the menu had it. While I know it may be challenging to remember, a heads up from the server would have been nice. Despite being the newest place in town just getting their feet wet with a soft open, the staff seemed like a good team working together to get food out where it needed to go. The waiting was a little long at times, but it was a pretty full house and patio. Everyone was in a good mood, there was lots of talk between tables and warm excitement. I only imagine things will get better and better. I am pretty excited to see what the situation is for their Grand Opening in a couple weeks!

Likes: Atmosphere and food were delicious!

Dislikes: Cilantro trying to sneak its way into my life.

Food: 4.5/5

Service: 4.5/5

Would I go again?: Definitely, excited to see how things go here.

Pork Tacos

Tonight for dinner I decided to attempt some tacos...Taco Tuesday! I actually had my heart set on beef when I headed into the store, but pork was on sale and so here we are: Pork Tacos! The taco seasoning was stolen from here, with me preferring smoked paprika in everything. I was also a little more generous with the red pepper flakes for some heat. I know I promised no cilantro, but if you want to add some this might be a good place for it, if you are into that sort of thing.

To make these delicious and simple tacos you will need:

• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb of uncooked lean ground pork
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 6 inch tortillas

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, cook onion, jalapeno and garlic until soft (10 min).
2. While cooking, mix seasonings so it will be even to add.
3. Add pork and break up into small bits while cooking. Add the seasoning and mix.
4. Cook until pork is done (15 minutes).
5. Make your damn tacos however you want!

The rest is kind of a free for all in terms of amounts. For each of my tacos, I used:

• 2 spoonfuls of the cooked pork mix
• ~1 1/2 tbsp aged white cheddar
• small handful of mixed spring greens and spinich,chopped
• ~1 tbsp light sour cream
• ~1 tbsp PC Pico De Gallo Hot Salsa

Of course, any fresh salsa, including one you make yourself would do the job. even some fresh chopped tomatoes would be nice. I am lazy, and just bought this salsa to try. It is pretty good, not a new necessity or anything though. I inhaled two tasty tacos without a plate, which I do not recommend. Let me know if you have any ideas about other easy taco toppings!