La Bodega Negra

The March opening of La Bodega Negra was greeted with a more than healthy degree of enthusiasm. As cultural phenomenom Serge Becker’s first venture in the UK, the hope was that he would import some of the glamour he had brought to New York – with The Box, Joe’s Pub, Café Select and La Esquina – to London. Luckily, he hasn’t disappointed, and La Bodega Negra has quickly become the place to go for contemporary Mexican cuisine in the capital.

Known for his playful approach to design, Becker made his name in part by resurrecting the "speakeasy" several years ago, stimulating delight with elaborate scene-setting, discreet entrances and passwords, and creating an air of exclusivity around his clubs. Similarly La Bodega Negra blends into its Soho surroundings by resembling a run-of-the-mill sex shop, giving no indication of the large dining room that sits within. Even when you get past the entrance the joke continues, with the foyer done up in black and featuring a glass counter full of curious toys… which is enough to convince anyone they’ve come to the wrong place – especially with the friendly staff playing up to it.

The dining room itself is located down a flight of stairs – far from the light of day, and lowly lit throughout. The atmosphere is buzzy and relaxed, and the décor is low-key eclectic – except for one side dining room featuring a wonderful art installation of a crudely built cardboard cityscape creeping across the walls. Since no photography is allowed in this space, it alone is worth a visit.

"La Bodega Negra blends into its Soho surroundings by resembling a run-of-the-mill sex shop, giving no indication of the large dining room that sits within..."

It must be said that if it’s traditional Mexican cuisine you’re after, this is not the place for you. Instead the menu is a cosmopolitan take on Mexican, and while the culinary inspiration is decidedly grounded in North America, there’s no fear of unorthodoxy here, including one of our favourite dishes, the raw tuna tostadita with chipotle, avocado and jalapeno. Or the prawn jicama tacos served with apple and wrapped in thinly cut radish, rather than a tortilla shell.

All the meat and fish dishes we tasted were cooked to perfection – from the BBQ octopus “el negro,” to the spit roast chicken, to the slow-roasted lamb barbacoa, which may just have been the highlight of the evening. And while there is plenty of chipotle and jalapeno dotted across the dishes, most of the spice hits as high notes, rather than the rich or deep ones normally associated with traditional Mexican fare. For those (us included) who love Mexican food, the menu will quickly shift your expectations, with the upshot that you can enjoy several sharing plates of tacos, tostaditas, and mains from the grill – including the soft and spicy wild sea bass with red and green adobe – and not feel overfed. Also worth noting are the exceptional side dishes – especially the white beans chorizo, and the green rice – which go beyond the call of duty as accompaniments to the mains.

With Becker not doing anything by halves, there is also a street level version of La Bodega Negra just around the corner from the basement restaurant. With a long glass front, walls covered with Mexican posters, and no hint of sleaze in the décor, this satellite establishment is more suited to a quick or casual meal. The menu is similar to downstairs, but with fewer mains, and more of a focus on the tacos, including pork and roasted pineapple, and other light dishes. In North America such a venue would be called a taqueria, but as the name taqueria has been, improbably, trade-marked in the UK (this is comparable to someone getting a trade mark on the word "café" in Germany, say), it’s not.

Here, as downstairs, knowledgeable staff expertly mix delicious and refreshing cocktails – including our two favourites, the Pepino: mezcal, cucumber water, agave syrup and jalapeno, and the Ancho mojito: mezcal, fresh lime, mint and homemade chilli ancho syrup. There are also frozen margaritas of inspired flavours such as hibiscus and tamarind, rotating behind the bar. Since opening, both venues have been packed, and with each providing a distinct offer, it’s likely that everyone will be kept satisfied.

Neil and Ananda visited La Bodega Negra downstairs on Wednesday, 4 April at 7pm, and the upstairs La Bodega Negra on Friday 20 April at 6pm.

Ananda Pellerin is a London-based writer and Neil Wissink is a visual artist also based in London. More from The Hunger here, and contact The Hunger here.