Mole Taco Bar Review: Mole Tacos, Mole Problems
When I heard the term taco bar, I assumed something like a more up-market chipotle. A burrito the size of a small baby dripping with cheese with a nice handful of tortilla chips on the side. Mole Taco Bar took those expectations and blew them away. It is Mexican food that bears no resemblance to the El Paso we as a nation swill by the bucketful.
The first sign of this was with the opening guacamole. Now everyone knows what guac is like, it’s got some avocados, it’s got some lime juice, bit of salt and pepper. Now imagine those basic ingredients but done with the creamiest smoothest avocados, lovingly mashed together to a perfect nacho-loading consistency. And then Mole took it to the next LEVEL by adding pomegranates and chilli to it. Chilli I can imagine but the addition of pomegranate was as surprising as it was delicious. It added a sour burst of flavour along with a change in texture.
Next up we had our starters, baby squid served with black ash, salt and serrano cream and the beef striploin skewers. The baby squid was a bit disconcerting as a the squid shape and tentacles were clearly visible but also delicious. Salty and crispy, with the serrano cream giving it some tang and color. The beef came on a skewer and with chives sprinkled on top. An extremely fresh start as you bit into it then a rich beefy flavour bringing up the rear.
As for the tacos we decided to go for a baja fish taco, with the deep fried fish topped with mayo and jalapeño slaw as well as a more traditional chicken with black mole sauce, roasted sesame and radish. The tacos were delicately arranged and artfully piled high with stuffing with neither a refried bean nor a grain of rice in sight. After the really bold and tangy starters both dishes were actually very subtle and lighter tasting. The slaw and radish veggie gave them both a nice crunch while the deep fried fish was crispy but not oily.
Finally we finished with a mango cheesecake. A real tropical tasting dessert with the creamy cheese topping having the essence of mango running through it rather than two separate flavours. So fresh and fruity but with the decadent richness that is the hallmark of all my favourite desserts. And yet again Mole Taco Bar managed to surprise me by sprinkling the cheesecake with a thin dusting of chilli. Not enough to notice until the hot heat blooms once you’ve had a bite of cheesecake. Then of course the only thing for it is to take another bite of cheesecake to cool yourself down. It’s a slippery slope that left us mournfully picking at the crumbs of biscuit base and scooping up the last few dabs of cake much too fast.
Mole Taco Bar was not at all what I expected but only ever in good ways.
Mole Taco Bar
16 Picton Pl
London
W1U 1BP
