Lunch at Peytito

Craig of That Dapper Chap takes time out on a trip down Portobello Road to enjoy a meal at the Peyotito Mexican restaurant

The rear seating area at the Peyotito Mexican restaurant in London's Notting Hill

If you visit London, you must visit Portobello Road, with it's pretty houses and wealth of shops and antiques it's a hive of activity and one of those must see places.

After you've shopped your way down this iconic winding street you'll no doubt want to stop for a bit to eat. With Peyotito nestled on a quiet side street, it offers a warm welcome and a well deserved pit stop away from the crowds.

Making my way in to Peyotito, I couldn't wait to see the menu

Sitting on Kensington Park Road, just 2 minutes off Portobello Road, the rustic orange shop front lures you in with promises of spicy Mexican dishes and a friendly atmosphere.

Peyotito not only offer a wide and varied menu but they also pride themselves on their margaritas! And what better way to celebrate national Margarita day than to sample a couple. Well, it would be rude not to, particularly when they've just introduced a new selection including blood orange!

A busy lunchtime at Peyotito, clearly a popular eatery for locals and visitors alike

Arriving at lunchtime we were welcomed by the staff before being seated and offered a much needed drink. The restaurant was pretty busy and there was a real buzz about the place with the barman making cocktails for a group of young hockey players.

After a brief look at the menu, we decided to let the waiter recommend what he thought would be a good representation of the variety of food on offer, so with five dishes ordered it was a short wait before the first arrived.

Along with our food, we of course ordered margaritas! We ordered the blood orange from the new selection and the classic Peyotito, both of which, while very different to each other, were very welcome.

Enjoying my classic Peyotito margarita

Our starter was a selection of dips and crunchy tortilla, one of which was particularly spicy! Thank god for the margarita!

After this we had the Tostada de Pilpo A La Mexicana which was a delicious and perfectly cooked pile of octopus on a crisp tortilla.

top left:A starter of dips followed. Top right: Huevos Rancheros. Bottom left: adding another shot to my margarita. Bottom left: Huevos Rancheros, Blanco and Laminado De Hamachi

Next on offer came the Huevos Rancheros which is a soft tortilla with fried egg, pickled onion, oregano and avocado. This was another beautifully flavoursome dish. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the portion size was adequate for two.

A closr look at the Huevos Rancheros and the Laminado De Hamachi

Along with the Huevos Rancheros the waitress delivered a plate of Laminado De Hamachi, being yellowtail, ginger vinigarette, huitiacoche corn mushroom and serrano chile. I couldn't get enough of these delicate, melt-in-the-mouth slices of raw fish which were beautifully seasoned and delightfully refreshing.

Accompanying these dishes was the Blanco, a scallop with fresh coconut, cucumber, plum tomato and serrano chile. Another faultless offering, it was quickly consumed accompanied by gratified and appreciative noises.

The new blood orange margarita alongside the classic Peyotito margarita

Saving the very best till last were were given the Mole De Olla, an incredibly delicious short rib, slow cooked for 24 hours in a traditional dried chile broth. This literally melted on the tongue and was an absolute delight.

Top: Mole De Olla, Middle left: Blanco. Middle right: Laminado De Hamachi.
Bottom left: Mole De Olla. Bottom right: Tostada De Pulpo

No meal would be complete without a desert and while my stomach was telling me that it didn't need any more, my head told me that there would be enough room!

We opted for the Pan De Elote, a plate of homemade corn cake with Mexican cacao sorbet and nibs. With a coffee to compliment the sweetness of the desert, another dish was promptly dispatched with without complaint.

The sweet and delicious Pan De Elote

There was not one dish that I wasn't happy with. Each one was wonderfully prepared and presented and while at times the table didn't quite feel large enough for the dishes that we were offered, we were pleased that our bellies were, as there was not one mouthful that I wasn't eager to consume.

After a parting shot of tequila from the barman we were on our way back to Portobello road, fully re-fuelled and ready for a few more hours of shopping.

So, if you're ever in Portobello Road or the Notting Hill area of London and find your stomach grumbling with the need for sustenance, please pop in to Peyotito for some very welcome and very tasty Mexican cuisine.