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Please note, this iteration of Santo Remedio is now closed, but has reopened at a new site in London Bridge. Time Out Eating & Drinking editors, August 2016.
This ‘cocina Mexicana’ should have been the dog’s huevos (in Mexico, ‘bollocks’ are referred to as eggs. You can probably guess why). It has a great location, a cool split-level site (with a bar upstairs), and a killer philosophy: ‘Todo lo que corre o vuela, a la cazuela!’ – anything that runs or flies ends up in the pot. So: Mexican nose-to-tail cooking. Pretty cool.
Sadly, several dishes needed more assertive seasoning. A chunky guacamole had the added fun factor of crispy grasshoppers (the texture of popcorn, the taste of dried tea), but lacked depth. Quesadillas made with cheese from Peckham’s trendy Gringa dairy were nicely chewy but bland, the accompanying tomatillo and coriander salsa lacking sufficient pep to lift them. Things got better: tender grilled ox tongue had an intense, gamey flavour (much like ox tail) and came with pipián rojo, a smoky, nutty, fiery salsa. A cactus slaw was tangy and piquant; pecorino-smothered grilled sweetcorn the unexpected star.
Staff are friendly, though not always attentive, but Santo Remedio is a fun, buzzy place, so you’ll still have a good time. Especially after a a killer margarita, or a few bottles of Ocho Reales, the deliciously malty brown ale.