Restaurant Review - Wahaca, Covent Garden

I've just come back from a few days spent in London with my daughter & husband.  Both of them like a bit of Mexican spice, so Saturday night was my choice, as neither of the had eaten at Wahaca before.  We walked across to Covent Garden, descended the stairs into a bustling throng of noise, smells and vibrancy which is synonymous with Wahaca.  We were greeted by a friendly face who advised that there'd be a 35 minute wait, gave us our buzzer and invited us to the bar to have a drink while we waited.

Less than 20 minutes later, our buzzer went off and we were shown to our table and introduced to our waiter, Phil. He greeted us and asked of we'd dined there before and offered assistance if required.  Having previously eaten there, I was ok with the dining experience, so while he brought us our Nibbles of fresh tomato salsa and home made tortilla chips, we browsed the menu for our dinner.

The salsa that's served here is light and incredibly fresh, with a hint of herb, a small kick from the onions and a zing for the fresh lime.

Our orders were placed for grilled British Steak Tacos with grilled cheese and salsa for my daughter.

Tender marinated chicken Taquitos with lettuce, Lancashire cheese and salsa for my husband.

Whilst I chose the Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas in a spicy tomato marinade.

Our chosen sides were greens of tender sweet broccoli with a garlic chilli oil and lime as well as two portions of sweet potato.

Bearing in mind how incredibly busy it was, the service is excellent and food is brought out as it's made rather than being held on the pass until all dishes are prepared. This ensures that the food is brought to the table in typical street food style to ensure it's served at its' best.  All the dishes were shared between us so that we could experience the variety of flavours and each of dishes ordered.

Surprisingly, we all had room from pudding and again decided to go for three different dishes to share between us.  We chose the Churros y Chocolate; light cinnamon doughnuts served with a rich and intense, chocolate sauce.

The Salted Caramel ice cream with chunks of Original Beans chocolate that was almost entirely devoured before the photo was taken!

As well as the the incredibly refreshing, fragrant and fruity Mango Sorbet.

To see the smiles and hear the appreciative noises, not only from my husband and daughter, but from the surrounding diners, let's you know that the food here is good!

What I love about about the food here is that you can have nibbles and two courses, know you've had plenty to eat and still feel comfortable without the desperate need to find an elasticated waistband or to have a lay down!

I have to say a big thanks to our waiter, Phil. My daughter loved the pink and green ice cream spoons so much that I asked if we could buy them.  He only went and got her the other two colours; blue and orange, to complete the set as a gift to her! This guy is an asset to Wahaca with his personality and friendly nature.

All in, with drinks, the bill was very reasonable at less than £45.  We just need a restaurant opening nearer to home now so I can enjoy their food more often without the trek!

Thomasina Miers was a BBC Masterchef winner in 2005. She opened her first restaurant in 2007.  There are currently 12 Wahaca restaurants as well as a mobile street food kitchen that is destined to tour the country and introduce the nation to this amazing food.  It's a very ethical company with donations from every Street Food Special dish sold to Ednica, a UNESCO backed charity, that they support. They commission street artists to give a unique twist to each of their branches and have been voted Sustainable Restaurant Group of the year for 2012 & 2013 by using British ingredients, where possible, and composting or using all the food waste created to generate energy.

This review was not sponsored by Wahaca.  My visit was of a personal nature and was paid for fully by myself.