La Bodega Negra

London restaurateur Will Ricker (Great Eastern Dining Rooms, Cicada and Eight over Eight to mention a couple) recently teamed up with Serge Becker (New York nightclub guru and owner of Mexican eatery La Esquina in New York) to launch the eagerly anticipated ‘La Bodega Negra’. And launch it they did....

Nestled in Soho’s Old Compton Street, you’ll find La Bodega’s entrance is not your average…..behold!

Look for the eyes, and you’ve reached your destination. The entrance feels reminicint of Cyber Dog in Camden, I’m not sure whether that is good or bad, but who cares, there are Margaritas to be had!

As you descend into the main restaurant, you are greeted by a couple of gorgeous hostesses who are more than happy to get you a seat at the bar and order your first drink in for you while you wait...(service!) I went for a Margarita on the rocks and it was probably one of the nicest margarita’s I’ve had in a very long time. They serve it frozen, straight on the rocks and probably any other which way you fancy....ooh eer misses.

The restaurant doesn’t feel too stuffy or poncy which is always my worry with the latest ‘hot spot’ – this place is as much a bar as it is a restaurant and people really should be down there getting their tequila on (we certainly did!)

We were seated at a lovely corner table and the waitress immediately advised that we had some sesame tostadas with guacamole while we browsed the menu. The tostadas were delicious and unbelievably moreish, so naturally, we got some more. The guacamole was pretty heavy on the garlic, but being a garlic addict it didn’t bother me at all.

Next up – our main course. We went with a mix of things, but the ones that stuck out for me were the prawn tacos. These come in a wooden rack that holds 4 soft shell bite sized tacos that are so packed full of flavour that you can’t help but scoff the lot. Would I say it was the best Mexican taco I had ever had? Probably not, but it was different and up there as a top scorer.

Next up – the show stealer. The humble scallop. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I recoil in horror at the idea of having to eat anything with a weird texture (bananas, silken tofu etc) So, eating a raw scallop ceviche wasn’t really filling me with the joys of spring…but I love sushi, so how bad could it be? 

It arrived.

On Ice.

In a shell.

Gleaming in the candle light.

All uncooked and menacing.

It was marinated in mango and jalapeno.

This wasn’t making me feel better about the situation.

I looked at it. 
It looked at me.

We decided there was only one thing for it.

Consumption.

‘So’ I hear you cry…’What did it taste like weird-food-reviewer-girl-who-doesn’t-like-weird-textures’.

Honestly? It felt like how I imagine eating a raw chicken breast would feel….but it was so farking delicious, I hardly remember the feeling of dread I had as it approached my mouth (gag reflex, nuff said) fresh, spicy and unlike anything I would normally shovel into my cake hole. I am officially a ceviche convert. Sign me up for another one of those bad boys pronto. Delicious.

After a few more heady margaritas, we decided dessert was still on the cards. What did we go for? Chocolate fondant of course. It was served with mole ice cream (no, not a critter) but a Mexican concoction that sort of tasted like marmite at first, but I am convinced that was the tequila playing tricks on me. I believe it’s a mix of cinnamon, vanilla and some sort of dried pepper. It’s an acquired tasted, but I liked the cut of its jib. The fondant was perfect...the 3 second rule applies here and it passed with flying colours.

Overall – a great atmosphere, great music, good food but better drinks. Attentive staff who know their menu like the back of their hand. We're sold.

Good for – dates; glam client lunches; see and be seen (Prince Harry has been papped dining here after all); and a girly night out.

Bad for – Prudes.

£ - about £40 a head (without booze)

http://www.labodeganegra.com/ 

Humpday Treat

Although TCOC loves to go out for dinner, our bank accounts require us to fend for ourselves now and again. Luckily we’ve been house trained and can whip up a decent dish now and again. Every Wednesday morning (ish) we will be posting a scrummy recipe to get you over your midweek slump.

I have been asked to pop up the recipe for my Margarita sponge after tweeting about it last week. Unfortunately I haven’t had time to make one to show you pics but hopefully my instructions are easy to follow for even the most novice of bakers.

It was birthed when I had a last minute Mexican themed dinner party and needed a knock out dessert with what I had left in the cupboards. It’s pretty much a lemon drizzle cake with a naughty side and a creamy frosting. I haven’t tried adapting into cupcakes as sadly my equipment has gone AWOL but i think these would make a lovely addition to a hen do or girls’ night in and the principle is pretty much the same, just adjust cooking times.

Margarita Drizzle Cake

Ingredients

For the drizzle (in a measuring jug)

·         1 lemon, freshly squeezed

·         2 limes, freshly squeezed

·         ¼ orange, freshly squeezed or 12.5ml cointreau / triple sec

·         50ml good quality golden tequila

·         75ml agave syrup or 100g caster sugar, depending on preference

N.B. this may seem like a lot of liquid but it is really key for making the cake sinfully moist

For the sponge

·         200g/7oz caster sugar

·         200g/7oz unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

·         1 lemon (zest only)

·         2 limes (zest only)

·         ½ orange zest

·         3 free-range eggs, beaten

·         200g/7oz self-raising flour

For the topping

·         250ml Mascarpone cheese

·         25ml good quality golden tequila

·         50ml agave syrup or 50g caster sugar

·         2 limes (zest only)

·         1 lime, freshly squeezed

·         ½ lemon, freshly squeezed

·         ¼ orange, freshly squeezed

Preparation method

1.      Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm/8in springform cake tin with butter.

2.      For the margarita drizzle, in a measuring jug, mix together the citrus juice, tequila and agave/sugar until the mixture is well combined and the sugar has dissolved completely. Set aside.

3.      For the sponge, beat the sugar, butter and citrus zest in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy, using an electric whisk.

4.      Gradually add the eggs, whisking after each addition until the egg is completely incorporated into the mixture before adding the next. Carefully fold in the flour using a metal spoon.

5.      Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the sponge has risen and is cooked through. (The sponge is cooked through when a knife or skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.)

6.      As soon as the cake is cooked, remove it from the springform cake tin and prick the top all over with a cocktail stick/fork. Pour over the margarita drizzle mixture to soak the sponge, then set aside to cool on a wire rack. It looks a lot but you need this so it’s nice and moist. To help absorption, pour it over in 3 lots at five minute intervals and make sure it doesn’t all go in the middle or it will go soggy – I put a large plate underneath the wire rack to catch spills when I was pouring on the sides.

7.       Once cooled the cake may be a bit ‘domed’ if it’s risen too much so just level this off with a knife if it is noticeable. Mine was quite domed when it came out the oven but once cooled, fell a bit so it wasn’t too noticeable and I didn’t bother so wait and see before cutting any off.

8.       For the icing, the cake must be COMPLETELY cooled (or it will go all runny and gross). Whisk all the ingredients together (reserving some lime zest) and smear over the top of your cake. You can decorate with the remaining lime zest and anything else you like – I used orange and lemon jelly decorations as it gives it a ‘cocktail garnish’ look but I think it’d look nice with hundreds and thousands or silver balls too!

9. Cut a slice and stuff your face. It’s called a cake-hole for a reason!

Enjoy xxx