06-12-2017

Martha Ortiz, colourful Mexican cuisine

The acclaimed chef from Central America charms with her subtle and rich dishes. Now also in London

Two of the recipes presented at restaurant Ella Ca

Two of the recipes presented at restaurant Ella Canta in London by Martha Ortiz, the most acclaimed chef in Mexico. The restaurant opened inside hotel One Hamilton Place Park Lane, tel. +44.(0)20.73188715

The most acclaimed chef in Mexico, Martha Ortiz, brings the flavour and beauty of her homeland cuisine to the British capital. Her new project, Ella Canta, "Authentic Mexican restaurant" inside the InterContinental London Park Lane, perfectly represents typical Mexican elements: tradition, art, culture, past and present. She combines these elements in an elegant representation of Mexican cuisine in which food and the visual context surrounding it are part of the same recipe, of the same iconicity.

To put it simply, Martha explains that at Ella Canta “food is like a vibration, a voice and an aesthetic taste. In this sense it’s womanly, it’s feminine; it is chanted by beauty and sensuality, by impulses that can be as lyrical as the image of Latin American women of whom we have various examples: poets, painters, photographers.”

Those who know Martha Ortiz thanks to her famous Dulce Patria in Mexico City know they can expect an imaginative, creative, feminine and colourful cuisine at Ella Canta ; “I believe in Mexico we eat with colours too” – says the chef. The menu tells an intriguing story through flavours, textures and indeed colours that all meet in the same action, tasting. Tasting simplicity, richness, subtlety.

Martha Ortiz. It all began at Dulce Patria, Mexico City, her flagship restaurant

Martha Ortiz. It all began at Dulce Patria, Mexico City, her flagship restaurant

The first part of the brunch is a festival of dishes to share: guacamole with pomegranate, ricotta and chapulín dorado (golden grasshopper) for those who dare tasting it [it is totally worth it] served on the side with tortilla chips, chile de árbol sauce and salsa verde; razor clams ceviche with chile habanero, mango and passion fruit, a very fresh and light recipe; oyster with tomatillo granita; a selection of quesadillas in different colours and fillings, with mushrooms, beef barbacoa, chile  poblano and huitlacoche – the so called Mexican truffle, that is to say corn mushroom; or memela de maíz (a sort of thick corn tortilla) with beef tongue.

As for the Main Act, in the words of Martha herself in the menu, you can choose among various interesting dishes with a strong respect for the classic flavours of traditional gastronomy, like pescado a la Malimba Veracruzana, snapper filet in the style of Veracruz served with mashed potatoes and saffron; chilaquiles with green or red sauce; prawn soup; or enchiladas potosinas. There’s a leitmotif based on authentic flavours, respected in the Final Curtain too, with emblematic cakes like pastel de tres leches (a cake with three types of milk: condensed, whole and evaporated); churros with chocolate sauce and cajeta (dulce de leche); or mango and lime sorbet.

The dining room at Ella Canta

The dining room at Ella Canta

The exquisite selection of spirits is also worth mentioning, Mexico’s presents to the world: tequila, mezcal, sotol y bacanora, plus of course different types of margaritas which will certainly add liveliness to the culinary experience.

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso

Ella Canta
One Hamilton Place Park Lane
+44.(0)20.73188715
London, UK
Average prices: starters 11, main courses 27, desserts 9 pounds


Dal Mondo

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by

Beniamin Chalupinski

Chef, journalist, a Phd in Italian linguistics, author of books on the theme, experiences that converge in the same profession, from writing to cooking, from cooking to journalism and back to cooking. The same that led him to write for Mexican magazines such as ProtocoloSaborearte and Siempre

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