It’s true, my website was hacked AGAIN for the third time in 2021. I should probably take the hacking as a compliment to TheFoodaholic, but over the last few months, I’ve had to completely overhaul who I use to host and who secures me. Now, I’m finally back (I think), meaning I can once again start filling up the blog for 2022 as, since October last year – I’ve been stuck to nothing but social media. To celebrate me beating those hackers, I want to introduce you to a mighty fine Mexican restaurant in Hackney named Caldera.
Opened in 2019 by founder Arya Razi and executive chef Ernesto Cardoso. Both through their desire to create an all-day dining space with an offering that changes the stereotypes of Mexican cuisine and puts the spotlight on less familiar Mexican gastronomy, Caldera was born and what a lovely place it is. Location wise, it was completely out of my area, but it was worth the travel.
Serving up Mexican-inspired dishes to highlight the best of Mexican gastronomy, we kicked our lunch off with something a little stronger – cocktails. The classic Margarita, simple, but perfectly executed went down a treat. But better still was the passionfruit version, laced with chilli which alongside the tequila gave my palette a nice warm lift. Caldera doesn’t always have to be just about the food, it’s a great little spot for a few too many cocktails.
What goes well with cocktails? Snacks of course and the best are still the classics. In Caldera’s case, totopos with guacamole. The corn chips here are absolutely excellent, fried to perfection and the guacamole is equally as impressive. Not too smooth, not too chunky and packed with flavour. The perfect Margarita accompaniment.
One thing that no Caldera experience should be without, is their delicious tacos. With three pieces per plate, you can choose from romanesco broccoli, cochinita pibil, ribeye steak or like us – grilled king prawns and the Baja-style cod. I’m not usually a fan of prawns in my tacos, but these prawn ones were great and beautifully cooked, served with some guacamole & gochujang sauce.
I also loved the Baja-style cod tacos I mentioned and again the fish was cooked to perfection, served with a generous helping of chipotle aioli and topped with a sprinkle of aonori. They’re good, but if you’re ordering just one taco from the menu – the prawns were my winner.
Gargantuan dinosaur ribs anyone? At least that’s what we thought arrived at our table. Whilst a little big for just the two of us to finish, this was one of the special taco dishes of giant-sized, 24 hours cooked braised short rib, served with soft tacos and a selection of salsas. The bark on the rib was heavenly and the meat underneath it was so succulent – those bones literally fell out with just the slightest push. If you see this dish, save room and order it.
If it was possible to fit any more food inside of us, we somehow managed to get through most of these marinated lamb mole-miso cutlets, served on a bed of baba ghanoush & dusting of sesame seeds. I liked this dish a lot, especially the meat (which was stunning) and the rich, mouth-coating mole, but looking back and thinking about it all over again – I’m not sure I could see much point in the baba ghanoush. The latter is one of my favourite things and don’t get me wrong it was very good, but the mole which is always so rich, simply overpowered it. Perhaps a little something sweetcorn based would have held up better.
To finish, some rather fine churros with a luscious dulce de leche dipping sauce. The perfect way to end our Mexican feast. We had a great lunch at Caldera and I’m so glad I left the comfort of South-West London and travelled into the depths of Hackney for what was truly my favourite Mexican feast of 2021. Dinosaur sized ribs, mouth-tingling cocktails and expertly crafted tacos. Would we come back? Absolutely! It’s fun, boozy, delicious and great value for money.
