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Please note, Killer Tomato has now closed. Time Out Food editors, AUGUST 2019.
Old enough to remember ‘Attack of the Killer Tomatoes’? If so, you’ll be relieved to hear that chef Matt Paice’s acclaimed Mexican street food van – now upgraded to a tiny, vibesy restaurant in SheBu – has precisely zilch in common with the trashy sci-fi film that inspired its name. But when it comes to creating tasty, moreish and good-looking fare that does the trick and then some? Oh yeah: he kills it.
A fresh pair of crayfish tostadas made a great first impression, mild sour cream balancing nicely with a tangy salsa that gets extra points for being made from tomatillo (a small, green Mexican tomato). And though Paice started his business on a veggie mission, bringing meat dishes into the fold has worked in his favour. Exhibit A: the wonderful fried chicken taco. It’s got a sweet-and-sour Korean flavour, with a few sesame seeds and spring onions thrown in for good measure – though it’s a shame the chicken wasn’t crunchier. The chorizo taco, while fiddly to eat, also ticked the right boxes. And if we hadn’t been tempted by the cod version – which was excellent – we’d have gone for a chicken burrito, replete with the intriguingly-named ‘Death Sauce II’. Or a cheeseburger taco, which sounds like just the thing to soak up the restaurant’s cheeky selection of tequila cocktails. You’ll probably want some fries with that too – they’re seriously good.
So does all this quality eating come with a catch? It would appear not: service was smily – and on my visit, came from Paice himself – and pricewise, £20 goes a long way on the food front. The restaurant doesn’t take cash or reservations, mind you, but a little spot this brilliant is definitely worth waiting for.