Exquisito

In a refreshing change to the typical Mexican restaurant penchant for putting a Latin twist on everything from drinks to toilet dispensers, Exquisito – set amid the bodegas and betting shops of Blackstock Road – goes no further than a couple of ponchos pinned to the walls and an inner bunting of terracotta tiles. The kitchen’s insistence on breaking down culinary borders can have mixed results: duck fajitas would have been better with shredded rather than cubed meat, but pollo relleno (chicken stuffed with chilli and cheese on a bed of spiral fries) was bursting with flavour and built to satisfy a large appetite. Chorizo and garlic bread were delivered with a rustic flourish on wooden plates. A cheerful, charming place.