BY KELLY BESWICK
Tacos are definitely having a moment in Stoke Newington, with four taquerias now open within spitting distance of each other. However, what sets TA-KO apart from these competitors is that its soft, corn tortillas are packed full of the big, bright and bold flavours of Asia, a fusion that on paper sounds rather odd, but once in the mouth is, in fact, a match made in heaven.
Occupying the spot that was once the acclaimed cocktail bar cum eatery, Victory Mansion, its founders have now decided to focus more on the food side of the business, so hence the birth of TA-KO. Much like its predecessor, the restaurant has a wonderfully laid-back vibe and a cocktail menu that’s true to its roots. Indeed, while deciding what to order, we thought it rude not try a couple of classic margaritas, which arrived promptly and were so good we quickly ordered two more. They were the perfect lip-smacking accompaniment to our appetisers of house tortilla chips and ceviche tostada. The chips came with a moreish kaffir lime, ginger and tomato salsa and an interesting white bean, miso and sesame dip ,while the tostada was heaped with a delightful mixture of raw seabass, wasabi mayo, fennel, pickled watermelon and togerashi, which, in case you were wondering, is a Japanese spice mix, and very good it is too.
With starters out of the way and our margarita glasses empty, we decided to order a carafe of an orange wine from Sicily which arrived at the same time as our mains and paired with them perfectly. On the advice of our waitress, we ordered two tacos each, cauliflower and chicken ones for me and trout and pork for my companion. To list the exact ingredients of each taco here would make this review a feature-length read, but suffice to say they cleverly and deliciously embraced the Asian-inspired theme and were zinging with complexity and flavour. Meanwhile, the trio of house hot sauces, blackberry sriracha, nahm jim and sesame chilli crisp, added a pleasing degree of heat to the proceedings. As sides we opted for a refreshing Asian slaw and the allegedly infamous ‘MSG’ fries. Infamous or not, they were bloody well good, with the disks of nori fried potatoes served with Kampot pepper mayo and salt and vinegar powder.
With our dinner completed – dessert sadly defeated us – we waved our goodbyes, still marvelling that such a Mexican/Asian mash-up could hit all the right notes.
ta-co.uk
18 Stoke Newington High Street London N16 7PL
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