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Peyotito, a new challenge for Adriana Cavita

Beniamin Chalupinski
Beniamin Chalupinski
Soy chef, periodista, doctor en lingüística italiana y autor de libros sobre la materia. Mis distintos caminos confluyen en una misma dirección: desde las letras hasta la cocina, y del periodismo de vuelta a los fogones. Estos periplos me llevaron a escribir para revistas en Italia y México, uniendo mis pasiones en una trayectoria única y reveladora.

The culinary scene of London increasingly shines with the beauty of mexican cuisine; Peyotito restaurant in Notting Hill is one of the best examples of this new era in mexican gastronomy that is being experienced not only in Mexico but also outside it. Peyotito is the younger ‘brother’ of Peyote restaurant, which is located in Mayfair in London. It was launched by chef Eduardo García, known for his restaurants in Mexico City, namely Maximo Bistrot, Lalo! and Havre 77. It was Eduardo Garcia who put the young mexican chef, Adriana Cavita, in charge of Peyotito’s kitchen.

Many may remember Adriana, who participated in the first season of ‘Top Chef Mexico’, for her enthusiasm and passion for mexican cuisine. Her career is full of professional experience; she has worked in several famous restaurants, such as El Bulli, Pujol or Aska, just to name a few, and now in Peyotito. Adriana is also involved in other projects of the group, such as Peyote in Dubai, where she will be helping chef Alexander Stumpf with the opening of the new restaurant there.

The menu, elaborated by Eduardo García and Adriana Cavita offers an interesting interpretation of modern mexican cuisine, where the traditional flavours stand out in the British context, also in regard to presentation, and in the usage of some ingredients that reflect current international trends in gastronomy. We can find classic dishes, which at the same time have a very modern and interesting twist, like tortilla soup, tacos de barbacoa, cochinita pibil, churros with chocolate sauce, or a spectacular mole de olla, that has all the flavour of the typical dish – its presentation, however, is directed towards the British diner, as it resembles a stew and contains a very characteristic ingredient – parsnip. As Adriana comments, mole de olla is one of the best– selling dishes in Peyotito. Other star dishes are: scallop ceviche with cucumber, serrano chilli and coconut milk, octopus ceviche, beef tacos served on baby gem leaves or fish with green mole.

Peyotito’s cuisine reflects very well the trends in contemporary gastronomy with a particular focus on the freshness, lightness, quality and seasonality of the ingredients, also taking into account the needs of the diners for some dietary options, offering a wide range of gluten-free and dairy-free recipes. Adriana is very passionate about the gastronomy and mexican tradition in its regional variety that hardly finds comparison in other parts of the world. «It is difficult to say which region of Mexico I like the most, but if I had to choose three, they would be: Oaxaca, for its cultural diversity, Baja California for its fish and shellfish and Michoacan for its very typical things like atole negro or chapatas michoacanas «, says Adriana.

This passion for Mexican cuisine also shows in her other projects, such as her book about a traditional home cook from the Central Valleys of Oaxaca- Juana Amaya- with whom Adriana lived for almost five months, researching and learning the culinary traditions of Oaxaca. «It is a book that talks about the life of Juana, who recalls her memories through her recipes».

The text is almost ready for publication, but there are still some details to be finalised. Her other goal is the production of a series of documentary films dedicated to producers and typical products such as: chilhuacle, corn, mezcal, etc. «The idea is to show the lives of the producers, the situation in which they are living and the obstacles they have to face in order to produce these foods.» This project is being carried out with Hatuey Viveros Laville, a mexican director and author of documentaries like «Coffee (songs of smoke)» which won the documentary film category at the film festival ‘Visions du Réel 2014.’

As for the second season of Top Chef Mexico, I couldn’t avoid asking about her experience in this reality show. «I liked it very much; in the end it is another life experience. I think that you are faced with those difficult moments when you don’t have a clue how to proceed, and then you are surprised that you have overcome them. I also liked the part of sharing with all the contestants and learning from them, because each of us has a different way of working. «

Undoubtedly, Adriana gives an honourable place to mexican cuisine in London, contributing to the promotion of flavours and traditional techniques through Peyotito, not only in a direct way through her dishes, but also by forming and training her kitchen staff, sharing with them her experience.

¿Where?

31 Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, Londres W11 2EU

Webwww.peyotitorestaurant.com

By: Beniamin Chalupinski

Photos courtesy

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