Tasty tacos, but trouble too
All credit to Breddos. It’s come a long way from its humble roots as a makeshift taco shack in a Hackney carpark to a mini-empire of two restaurants, one in Clerkenwell and the other in Soho. We visited the latter on a recent weekday lunchtime and loved the vibe and the food. However, no review is (really) complete without a gripe, and my problem with Breddos relates to its menu. While a fan of the sharing concept – everyone gets to try more dishes – what I dislike is incomprehensible menus. Yes, I know what a taco is, but how many is an appropriate number to eat and how should these be combined with ‘botanas’ (a word hitherto unknown to me, but best considered as a starter) and the possibility of ‘la familia’ offerings too (the latter is, apparently, a larger dish)? What is the point in bringing a menu to a table for diners to deliberate over, if it is not clear how much they ought to be ordering and in what combination? Furthermore, the note appended to the menu that “we politely decline to mix and match” tacos hardly constitutes a welcoming invite. Anyway, at least Breddos redeemed itself when it came to the food. We enjoyed a tuna tartare botana, two pairs of tacos (pork belly and lamb shoulder) before finishing with a wood-grilled chicken and spring onion main. All the dishes were light and flavoursome, showing intelligent combinations of ingredients, especially the addition of red cabbage to the pork belly taco. Pricing is very favourable: we spent not much more than £20/head, albeit drinking only water. If shabby chic/ communal eating (there are banquettes for greater intimacy too) is your thing, then Breddos represents a great addition to the Kingly Court dining complex – once you’ve deciphered the menu.