Review: Mestizo (SquareMeal / Nuffnang event)

Last night, I was kindly invited by SquareMeal and Nuffnang UK to a food blogger evening at Mestizo to meet some fellow bloggers as well as to enjoy some tequila, mezcal and Mexican food. It was a lovely evening, although it did involve slightly more alcohol than most of us expected… I am a very fussy drinker and do not bode well with strong drinks, so my opinions differed from most of the people present, but here is an unadulterated account!

The Mestizo staff made sure we were well catered for throughout the evening, and Tom Bartram from Specialty Brands gave us a very comprehensive introduction into the agave fruit, which is the base of both tequila and mezcal.

We started off with a white coloured tequila (tapatio blanco) with a mild smell and taste. It was better than I expected, as I took a little sip and rather enjoyed the taste. I kept it to two sips though, as there were many more to come! This particular tequila, Tom informed us, is made in the highlands of Mexico and retails at around £25.

Whilst we were kept well supplied with tortilla chips and various dips, our first ‘proper’ dish was a black bean fritter with a corn tortilla, drizzled with sour cream and topped off with queso fresco. The fritter was tasty, but the tortilla was unfortunately a little soggy for my liking.

Next up was a tequila the colour of whisky named Don Fulano Imperial.  This one retails for around £80 and its cognac aromas set my mouth on fire!

Then it was finally time for the hotly anticipated mezcal, more specifically the Ilegal Mezcal Joven Blanco. We drank it from a cup made of an imported fruit shell from a local Mexican village, which was fun and certainly a different way of drinking! This mezcal was quite smokey and a bit too strong for my feeble palate… With this, we received chicken flautas (deep-fried) each along with sopes, made of corn. As before, I was slightly disappointed with the food, as the chicken inside the casing was a bit dry.

Our final drink of the night was another Ilegal Mezcal, but this one was aged for 18 months and thus named Añejo. It had hints of vanilla and caramel but nonetheless was very strong! With it we received our final small plate – a small quesadilla with fresh guacamole, which was the perfect combination. Sadly, we’d finished all the tortilla chips so I couldn’t mop up the rest of the guacamole!

I had a really nice evening and it was a wonderful opportunity to meet some fellow food bloggers. The Mestizo staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming and the venue felt very relaxed with great wall decorations! Check out some more photos of the event here.

Also, for those of you interested, here are some of the other blogs that were present at the event…

Grumblings from a Greedy Girl, The Awkward Blog, Quintessentially Me, Lux Life, Rate My Bistro, Whatever Gets You Through The Day, Gingle Lists Everything, Kitty in the City, Girl Next Shore, Super Golden Bakes, The Cutlery Chronicles, Sam The Food Fan, The List, The Picky Glutton, Daydream in Blue, Kitchen Conversations, Cake Over The World