Los Mochis

We kindly ask you to leave what you know about Mexican and Japanese food at home before heading to Los Mochis in Notting Hill. This pan-pacific restaurant strives to turn traditional styles of cooking on its head, the result being a cross between fine dining and street food-esque fare that blurs the boundary between Japanese and Mexican flavours. 

We were nestled in an illuminated corner of the dimly-lit restaurant, which was reassuringly abuzz with large groups and couples alike. Its dark and mysterious interiors and sharing style of dining making it a great spot for dinner dates or group gatherings.  

Moody interiors aside, the fun begins with the drinks menu, where tequila, mescal and whisky appear in a host of signature cocktails. Our choice, Farmer St. Flip, blended Ojo de Dios mezcal, popcorn syrup, cocoa bitters, lime juice and egg yolk into a dessert-like drink that was sweet, salty and smoky all at once.  

Our first impressions of the menu were twofold: firstly, the extensive choice and latterly, the price. We’re in central Notting Hill so yes, the dishes aren't cheap. Be mildly strategic and save a hefty chunk of your budget for the maki rolls and tacos (of which there are 19 options alone). 

Truffle appears frequently throughout the menu, sometimes unnecessarily so, but an example of where it works is in the truffle chilli goma which was served with both crispy falafel bites and yellowtail hiramasa sushi. The tacos were the best bit: soft tortillas housing hefty portions of miso cod, sticky fried chicken and tiger prawns. Sometimes fantastic, other times slightly random, additions of yuzu aioli, pico de gallo and habanero gojuchang appeared with each. While a notable nibble was miniature tacos filled with crabmeat and spicy aioli tucked inside paper-thin sweet potato shells. Focussed staff kindly removed our plates as we ate, to accommodate for each new round of dishes.  

While there were instances where flavours were forced rather than fused together, Los Mochis is excitingly bold and offers plenty of surprising (in a good way) dishes.

London is no stranger to so called ‘hybrid’ or ‘fusion’ restaurants, which see chefs combine the cuisines of two, or sometimes three, nations to cook up a culinary storm in the kitchen. Some famous examples include sky-high restaurant Sushisamba, which serves a mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian food, or Sumosan Twiga in Knightsbridge, a glamorous joint where a Japanese menu is served alongside an Italian one.

If you live or work in the Notting Hill area, you might be interested to know that you can find a fusion restaurant on your doorstep. Los Mochis ( named after the coastal city in northern Sinaloa, Mexico) serves a menu that mashes-up Japanese and Mexican cuisine, alongside plenty of Mezcal and Tequila on the drinks list.

Los Mochis’ dining room follows an industrial-chic design brief, featuring bare brick walls and wooden tables sans tablecloths, although some pops of colour have been added by yellow and blue scatter cushions, while Mexican-themed murals (including the obligatory homage to Frida Khalo) decorate the walls.

The menu here is a mix of dishes from both Japanese and Mexican culture, although there definitely seems to be more love shown to the Mexican side of things. Need proof? Well, Los Mochis’ menu features no less than 22 different varieties of taco, including quite a few novel takes on the staple Mexican snack. Varieties of taco you can tuck into include one stuffed with miso black cod, another one with truffled scrambled eggs and one christened Trailer Park KFC: Korean fried chicken topped with napa cabbage, jalapenos, spicy pickled cucumber, pico de gallo, pickled onions, cheese and poblano sauce.

Alongside the tacos, you can find a selection of quesadillas, while the Japanese side of the menu gets a few standalone dishes too including varieties of maki rolls. To round off your meal, indulge with the likes of chocolate taquitos or churro ice cream sandwiches. If you prefer liquid desserts however, opt for one of the seductive cocktails such as the Late-Night Martini: Ocho Blanco, lychees, vanilla, lemongrass, lime and jalapenos.