Evening Standard
David Ellis headed to Heddon Street, which week by week enhances its claim to be the epicentre of gastronomic Mayfair, to visit chef Santiago Lastra’s follow-up to Kol, the all-conquering and decidedly upmarket Mexican restaurant he opened to universal acclaim four years ago. Fonda, is named after homely family-run spots in Mexico, is pitched as a more casual operation, with much of the cooking done on a ‘comal’, or sandstone grill.
Lastra has been “vocal about his determination to change public perception of what Mexican cooking is about”, David noted – and Fonda, it seems, undermines this intention: “if there are hints of variation, they are misleading: in the end, a meal here amounts to a succession of tacos. There are other bits — like quesadillas — but, well, come on. They’re taco-adjacent.”
So what’s the verdict? Well, David is polite about the place, but it clearly fails to excite him: “It is Kol with the tasting menu cuffs undone. It is cheaper, but still expensive. It is beautiful, and the food extremely good, for the most part” – hardly a ringing endorsement.
David Ellis - 2024-10-27
