Netherton visit FONDA, Santiago Lastra's latest project
Fabulous Fonda
Think Fonda and your first thought will more than likely be the Hollywood acting dynasty and in particular film icon and activist, Jane Fonda. Think Mexican food and it’s probably an overstuffed burrito with “guac” and grated Cheddar that comes to mind. But now it’s time to think again. Brothers Santiago and Eduardo Lastra seriously upped the ante at Michelin starred KOL and have done it again with the launch of FONDA. The name of their latest venture was chosen by their mum and is inspired by the traditional Mexican fonda – a family owned eatery. A perfect name.
Feeling like A-listers, we were delighted to be invited to Fonda’s soft launch and whilst there was no red carpet, we were treated like stars. Santiago and Eduardo, as well as the whole team made us feel not only welcome, but also very special and the biggest thrill of all was meeting their mum, who had just landed from Mexico.
You may be wondering why we were there, in surroundings reflecting the colours of Mexico, with special commissioned artworks including a giant pink sloth, made from sisal, a fibre from agave plants that had been coloured with cochineal, and located just off Regent Street, central London – a long way from our workshops in Shropshire.
The answer was sitting on every carefully laid table. Along with the bespoke crockery, cutlery and table linens and right in the middle of the table sits a salsa bottle holder, topped with a miniature plant pot by day and a candle holder by night. And we made those salsa bottle holders especially for Fonda.
It was an unusual commission and to be honest, we were a little unsure about the concept, but as soon as it we saw them all in situ, it became apparent that these were exactly right for the venue. Talking with Santiago, we discovered that a great deal of thought had gone in to how they should be used and the final decision was that they should be set out on the tables before service and that the individual bottles of three different sauces would be brought to the table by the waiting staff. And as for the food…. there is no doubt that it will not be long before every restaurant critic will be delivering their verdicts more eloquently, possibly more knowledgeable and occasionally more wittily than we can dream of. But in the meantime, we would like to proffer our humble opinion that everything we ate was sublime. There is sufficient choice for omnivores, pescatarians and vegetarians alike to experience a range of options, and all of which were sufficiently different to be interesting and intriguing, without, as Santiago out it, too challenging. The freshness and lightness of each dish meant it was possible to experience a range of flavours and ingredients without it every feeling heavy or boring. The drinks were equally delightful – the cocktails delivering a noticeable whack of booze, wrapped in a velvet glove of complimentary flavours.
FONDA : Contact Address: 12 Heddon Street, London,
W1B4DA Instagram: @fondarestaurant
Phone: +44 (0)20 3994 8888
Email: contact@fondalondon.com
