Lead ImageSantiago Lastra at FondaPhotography by Jacob Lillis
AnOther Dish is a recipe and interview series with London-based chefs, spotlighting new openings and beloved, classic restaurants that stand the test of time.
Mexican food culture is anchored by fondas: small, family-owned eateries serving traditional dishes including ‘antojitos’ (small, savoury bites like tacos, quesadillas, or tostadas), tacos, and ‘comida corrida’ (a three-course lunch). Many are unmarked and unnamed, run by mothers or grandmothers out of the garages of family homes, making them impossible to find via Google Maps. With an unfussy, homely approach to food, these vividly coloured eateries represent the very ideal of the neighbourhood family restaurant, with unique recipes, flavours, and historical techniques passed down through generations, now accessible to all.
“Fondas are very nostalgic establishment for Mexicans,” explains chef Santiago Lastra. “It’s a place that you go to every day, to eat a traditional menu.” Last Autumn, Lastra opened the doors to Fondaa new restaurant located off Regent Street that pays homage to this much-loved aspect of Mexican food culture. “Here, we wanted to represent fondas, with food you can eat every day,” he says of the menu, which includes tostadas, tacos, quesadillas, dips, crudos and ceviches with ingredients that change from season to season. Standout dishes include the sir foota thick, traditional Mayan dip of roasted pumpkin seed mole and pine, with totopos (tortilla chips) to dip, and a bluefin tuna ceviche served with tomatoes and black cherries, the juicy fattiness of the fish cut through with an acidic kick of citrus. There’s also the ‘nieve’ (which means ‘snow’ – Mexico’s version of sorbet), a melt-in-your-mouth chocolate dessert with a whiff of dry heat, courtesy of the smoked pasilla and chilli oil drizzled on top.
This is contemporary Mexican food executed at a high level using premium British ingredients, with seafood from Scotland and Devon, seaweed from Wales, vegetables from Cambridge, and cheese from Somerset. “We’re using British ingredients but with a Mexican mentality,” explains Lastra of his concept, which was honed more elaborately and at a much higher price point at his first restaurant, the Michelin–starred KOL, which opened in 2020. Lastra is well-versed in the upper echelons of fine dining, having worked with René redzepi and Noma during their 2017 residency in Mexico. “I learned more about Mexico in that job than in all my life,” he says today of that life-changing experience. “I lost ten kilos and my girlfriend at the time. But it was worth it.”
At Fonda, Lastra’s food philosophy is defined by the idea of ’less is more’. “We want to achieve simplicity but with a very complex background of flavours and techniques,“ he says. “There’s that quote: simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication, right? We want to show that even simple things can be really special.” Here, as much emphasis is placed on how the food looks as how it tastes; dishes are served in custom tableware in earthy tones and natural materials, their organic curves emulating the circular motif repeated throughout the food (the sikil pak looks like an abstract artwork, with rectangular totopos arranged in rows next to the pumpkin seed dip, its surface filled in with a glistening conclave of dark green pine oil). Drawing inspiration from the Yucatan’s old haciendas, Guanajuato’s textiles, and Mexico City’s emerging design scene, the pièce de résistance of the restaurant – and heart of the kitchen – is the comal at the centre, a traditional clay griddle where chefs produce dishes like tacos and tostadas. “There’s always this connection between the chef and the guests,” says Lastra. “The idea is that you’re eating in someone’s kitchen – in someone’s Fonda.”
Below, Santiago Lastra talks about Mexican cuisine, his favourite books, and why he likes to travel to Japan for culinary inspiration.
What’s the first meal you remember making? A crap dip from the recipe on the back of a rice cracker box.
What’s the one dish you eat the most at home? Miso soup.
What are your fridge staples? Miso, kefir and kombucha. I always try to have fresh, fatty fish too – either tuna, trout or eel.
What’s the one ingredient you can’t live without? Chillis.
What’s one thing everyone should know how to cook? Tacos.
What’s your guilty pleasure? Brownies.
What did you eat today? I had rice with tuna for breakfast, but no lunch. Then I went to Brat for dinner, where we had a mushroom salad, a whole turbot, a Basque cheesecake and lots of wine.
What’s one thing about Mexican cuisine that gets overlooked? It’s not only burritos and tacos. There’s a whole lot of regional Mexican food.
What’s your favourite dish on the menu at Fonda? The fish tacos.
What are your fridge staples? ”MISO, KEFIR AND KOMBUCHA” – SANTIAGO LASTRA
What are your top three favourite restaurants in London? Ikoyi, The Clove Club, and Lyle’s.
What’s a common misconception people have about chefs? That they are fat or unhealthy. Actually, most chefs take care of themselves, work out and try to eat healthily as much as they can.
What do you do to feel inspired? I travel to Mexico and Japan; Mexico for inspiration on flavour and concepts, and Japan for inspiration on techniques and balance.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had? Lobster tacos on the beach in Baja California.
What’s your favourite thing about being a chef? Working with an amazing team that can make your dreams a reality.
What’s your greatest extravagance? Fashion. Lately, I’ve been getting super passionate about clothes and designers.
What’s the best book you’ve read recently? Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
What cookbook has inspired you most? On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee. I’ve read it three times.
Describe a perfect day. Something that involves contact with nature early in the morning – I’d go fishing, hunting or foraging, then brew a coffee and cook lunch. Then on to work at the restaurant, spending time with my team and guests. After that, I’d go for dinner with my partner, then have cocktails with my brother and friends. Alternatively, another perfect day would involve being in the mountains, drinking tea, working out, reading and meditating.
What does success look like to you? Success means having the freedom to do what you want the most and share it with the people you love.
What item would you save if your house was burning down? My notebooks with my ideas in them (and probably a couple of cookbooks that my friends have given me).
What would be your death row meal? I would go to Scotland to have grilled langoustines.
If you want a chef, what would you be doing? I’d be a mathematician – that’s what I wanted to do before.
Bookings for Fonda (12 Heddon St, London, W1B 4BZ) can be made here.
