Ella Canta is a Mexican restaurant here in the heart of London. It has been set up by leading Mexican restauranteur, Martha Ortiz. Martha wanted to open something here in London that served up authentic modern Mexican food.
A couple of Sundays ago we were invited to try out their weekend brunch, with 90 minutes of unlimited margaritas. This is the most alternative weekend brunch I’d ever been to – yes I was excited!
Monday to Thursday Ella Canta has the laid-back Mexican vibe with lovely mellow music, perfect for a catch up with friends or a romantic dinner. Friday & Saturday night they turn the notch up – there is a DJ, it’s loud, it’s fun and you can dance the Mexicana way.
Ella Canta decor
The decor is simply the dream. We went on a beautiful sunny day, and the dappled light streaming in definitely “had me at hola!” From the floors to the walls to the beautiful little Mexican hearts downstairs that line the walls outside the bathrooms, to the Frida Kahlo lampshades. Everything is detail to savour.
What did we eat at Ella Canta
We allowed Anna, our waitress, to choose our food. I have found this to work for me when I want to try authentic dishes. This worked perfectly at Ella Canta. We went a la carte, with the 90 min unlimited margaritas (of course)!
We tucked into the most exquisite seafood cocktail, known as Vuelve a la Vida – ‘Return to life’ – an ode to getting your life back if you have a hangover! I’m still dreaming about how good this dish was. Juicy lobster, prawns, avocado in the most delicious citrus juices, with the tomato mix at the bottom to stir in.
We had to have the guacamole with the golden grasshopper to fly the Mexican flag along with the most colourful margaritas to match. Small enough to taste and enjoy without drinking yourself into a stupor. FYI we did eat the grasshopper!
The trio line-up was hibiscus (my favourite), pistachio (the prettiest), and coconut – much tastier than it looked , reminding me of every hot Caribbean holiday!
Main courses didn’t disappoint. A fall-apart slow cooked beef dish along with spicy chicken salads.
The second ‘dish of the meal’ was this cheese with chorizo – food heaven. I’m not a big meat eater at all, but this I couldn’t resist.
If you thought we hadn’t eaten enough, we then had pudding. A few churros, but the basket of Mexican sweet breads brought with it a sponge with popping candy which I demolished along with a super spicy hot chocolate.
The other alternative was the vegan hot chocolate with a mixture of almond and coconut milk and, on that note, I leave you to make your reservation!