Mere months after Santo Remedio first opened in Shoreditch, landlord issues caused it to close and relocate to London Bridge. Five years later, empowered by the success of their restaurant south of the river, Edson and Natalie Diaz-Fuentes are back. This iteration of Santo Remedio (which means holy remedy), however, is a more casual taqueria.
As jangly Latin music played, eager diners started to flood into the plant-filled space. Upon the arrival of chips and guac accompanied by ‘mezcalitas’, it started to become clear what the fuss was about. The homemade yellow and blue corn chips were deliciously brittle, perfectly complimenting the soothingly silky guac. The punchy mezcalitas matched the food: a few ingredients, expertly combined.
Heavenly tostadas piled high with tuna sashimi and avocado followed, laced with chipotle mayo and topped with sesame seeds, poké-style. The Baja fish tacos - which can often be disappointing - were bang-on, with crunchy batter, zingy slaw and a kick of morita. Unexpectedly, the cactus and hibiscus flower quesadillas were a complex delight, simultaneously smokey and floral. Equally unexpected was the chilli-rimmed Modelo with lime, incredibly refreshing and properly authentic.
Pork belly carnitas-style, with generous lashings of tomatillo salsa, kept up the impossibly high standards set by its predecessors. As any taqueria worth its salt knows, the vessel is just as important as the filling. Here, the tortillas delivered the goods (literally).
A chocolate flan in England often means a flabby slice of custard. But at Santo Remedio, it was one of the best desserts we’ve ever had. The bottom layer was a light-absorbingly dense lovechild of a brownie and sticky toffee pudding. Meanwhile, the caramel custard layer was so fresh, it was as if the eggs had been laid minutes after our arrival. With an epilogue of coffee-infused mezcal, this meal very much lived up to the name ‘holy remedy’.