El Pastor
El Pastor Mexican 7A Stoney St, SE1 9AA ££
El Pastor are a group of Mexican Taqueria’s spread over the capital, specialising in quesadillas, mezcal, and tacos made from heritage Mexican corn. With two establishments South East and a further larger venue in North, complete with its own Plaza, El Pastor are branching out to bring flavour and fun to our comparatively grey scenery.
We went to El Pastor on a Friday lunchtime, following an exhibition we had seen nearby. The venue is very dark and pretty busy, with no bookings taken. There are some proper tables at the back, but these were full when we arrived, leaving us the choice of a high table or a table outside. Given that it wasn't too cold and we liked the air, light, and vibrant Borough market atmosphere, we chose to sit outside. The service was quick and friendly enough, with the waiter bringing a heater over to make sure we stayed toasty.
We ordered the Mexicana salsa (£1.5): the classic blend of tomato, onion, coriander and lime, followed by the Guacamole with some tortilla chips (£6.5). Both were good, honest, Mexican classics however, I did feel that the Guacamole was a tad overpriced for such a small portion. They have many options for different flavoured salsas, including different chillies and even pineapple, but my thoughts were if I loved the original so much, why change?
Taco's come in two a portion and are quite small, meaning that in order to begin to feel satisfied you will probably have to order two. We went for their signature Al Pastor 24 hour marinated pork shoulder tacos (£6.5) and the Pastor de Pescado with stone bass (£7.5). These were tasty and you can definitely tell that the meat and fish are of good quality, not least from the flavour but also from the way they hold up after being char-grilled. I am, however, still not wholly convinced about corn tortillas as I find the taste slightly bitty and odd.
Mum seems to have developed an obsession with Quesadilla's ever since our trip to Mexico last December, so a trip to El Pastor wouldn't be complete without this necessary addition. We went for the Gringa Quesadilla, with Oaxaca cheese and pork (£6). Whilst this was super tasty, it was left open and so wasn't what I was expecting, whats more, there was a serious lack of cheese which is what I thought was a key ingredient to making this dish what it is.
For flavour and convenience, El Pastor is a winner but considering you do have to order quite a few dishes to feel full, what appears to be a cheap lunch does soon add up. The food is undeniably fresh, however, the actual venue isn't the most comfortable and I believe that you could possibly get more for your money elsewhere.
OVERALL RATING: ***
https://www.tacoselpastor.co.uk/
