Mexican & Japanese Eats: We Visited The Notting Hill Restaurant Knocking Up Swish Fusion Food

My two favourite cuisines? Mexican and Japanese reign supreme in my humble opinion. From tacos and margaritas to sake and sashimi, both types of fare please my tastebuds like no other. So you can only imagine the sheer excitement I had when I was invited to Los Mochis, a West London restaurant whipping up a fusion of Japanese and Mexican food. My expectations were pretty high so did it live up to the hype?

Los Mochis's restaurant interiors are inspired by the Day of the Dead.

Situated just a few minutes from Notting Hill Gate, the venue had unique interiors. We’re talking ambient lighting, hanging plants, Day of the Dead paintings and the most iconic Yoda shrine adorned with flowers and skulls. Seated in the corner with a romantic candlelight, we plopped down for a 12-course tasting menu (£85 per person) and kicked off our date night with cocktails. I ordered the pepino jalapeno margarita (£16) – a blend of Tequila Tapatio Blanco and Reposado, cucumber-coriander cordial and jalapeno-infused organic agave. Light and refreshing, the pepper added a bit more edge to an otherwise standard marg. The perfect start.

First up was the guacamole and seabass ceviche, served with a bowl of tortilla chips. While the guacamole was exactly what you would expect, slightly acidic from the lime juice and creamy avo, the fresh fish was elegantly prepared with shiso-truffle soy, yuzu tobiko, shallots and mint cress. While alternating between the two dishes, we then were given what was my favourite plate of the evening, the truffle guacamole on crispy rice. The rice had a crunchy texture, which was balanced out with a generous amount of smooth avocado and shaved summer truffle. Another highlight (and my date’s favourite) was the falafelito which was fried chickpea bites paired with a truffle chilli goma. While the sauce was zesty and a tad spicy, each morsel of falafel exuded a herbaceous taste from coriander and parsley.

Ceviche and cocktails? A killer combo.

By the time we were given the cucumber avocado maki, we were hitting a wall already. It was a lot of food to be fair, and I think we probably could’ve done without it. Still, the salsa verde added atop the sushi roll gave the plate a nice Mexican touch. As we made our way through the menu, we moved onto the tacos. The trailer park chicken taco was decked out with all the fixings – we mean a smoky jalapeno BBQ sauce, habanero gochujang, sesame and the most crispy parsnip crisps to add a bit of complexity.

For dessert, we had the dulce de leche baked cheesecake, a creamy version of the classic. However, it was the matcha blondie that really stole the show. The matcha and white chocolate square was topped with coconut sorbet, and boy this was tasty. While the warming blondie oozed of a dense tea flavour, the sorbet balanced it out, making for a Japanese take on your standard ‘brownie with a vanilla scoop’.

Let's taco about this Mexican tasting menu in London.

The DesignMyNight Digest 

Ideal for intimate dates and group nights out, Los Mochis in Notting Hill is a fab fusion restaurant. Combining Mexican and Japanese fare, the venue’s tasting menu gives you a good mix of both cuisines with a modern twist. I did think we were given far too many plates by the end - we were absolutely stuffed - but it's worth it for self-proclaimed foodies. From sexy ceviche and truffle dishes to savoury tacos and decadent desserts, the restaurant did impress me on every level. 

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