Without lemon, avocado and fruit, in Marylebone, London, it prevails Kol, the restaurant of Mexican essence, but with ingredients from the United Kingdom by Mexican chef Santiago Lastra, who on February 16 obtained his first Michelin star.
“I came to live in London in 2017, but I had already been trying to open a business for two and a half years. restaurantand more than 10 working throughout Europe. The first year I was here I didn’t know anyone or anything in the country, I didn’t have any money either; it took me all that year to find out what it is United Kingdom. I traveled a lot and researched what people eat here and what they like, to find a way to make something for them, “says the Cook who left Mexico at the age of 18 to follow his passion.
With professional experience in some of the most demanding kitchens in the world such as Mugaritz, by chef Andoni Luis Aduriz, in Spain; Nordic Food Lab and Noma, in Denmark, by René Redzepi, Santiago have forged a path in which experimenting and building community has been a priority.
“I was working for Noma in Copenhagen when René Redzepi asked me to organize the Noma pop-up in Tulum. And the truth is that it helped a lot to make Mexico visible. It was very nice to see that people flew from Japan to our country just to eat omelettes. That touched me a lot and I decided that I wanted to continue supporting my country and create community through a restaurant.”
That’s how the chef discovered what he wanted to do, “I just said: I’m going to open my restaurant. I made a list and in it I put everything I expected from my ideal place, among the priorities were that it be multicultural, that people be open to new experiences and that they like the hot spicy; I wanted whoever visited my place to feel like they were in Mexico, but to eat other ingredients, in order to innovate. London met my expectations.”
PANDEMIC START
Kol was inaugurated on October 20, 2020 in the midst of a pandemic, the prelude to the opening being quite a challenge, “it was a month after (February 2020) that I was able to take the team of managers on a research trip through Mexico that The pandemic took hold, and well, I already had everyone hired, three years trying to open, so I had no choice but to make Kol a reality,” Santiago recalls.
With the faltering investors after giving so much money to a new business, the following months were filled with uncertainty, “I just thought: If you have to wait for the world to be perfect and there are no problems, you will never make it. It was now or never.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever done anything so stressful in my life. Everything I had planned was adapting to a new reality, but in a way it was also an opportunity to focus on the things that matter most, such as the quality of life of the people and the menu.
MEXICANS BY CHOICE
In Kol the only Mexicans are Santiago and his brother Eduardo, who during confinement created presentations for the entire staff in order to familiarize them with Mexican culture and cuisine. They talked about corn, nixtamalization, moles and sauces, creating just what he longed for most, community.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM KOL
It has two tasting menus, one with six courses and the other with nine courses. “Each dish has a story and is seasoned with English ingredients, the only thing we bring from Mexico is corn, chiles and chocolate. For example, the first course is a crab chalupa and this is seasoned with fermented currants instead of lemon and we make pistachio avocado guacamole instead, that is the type of dishes that are found here. Or a custard that instead of sweet is salty with a broth of roasted chicken, egg yolks and ax tripe marinated with achiote and guajillo chili, Wales algae oil and tree chili.
And it is that Mexican cuisine is for Santiago simply spectacular, “I feel that it is as if the world saw black and white and we saw color. When you give something in color to people they get excited and that has happened in Kol”.
“The credit really isn’t mine, it’s from Mexico, because their cuisine is what inspires me, all I’m trying to do is translate what I’ve eaten in Mexico into London ingredients.”
KEY POINTS
- Origin. The chef grew up in Cuernavaca, Morelos. He left Mexico at the age of 18
- Experience. He worked at Mugaritz, Nordic Food Lab and Noma.
- Pandemic. Kol was born in the midst of the COVID-19 lockdown.
- Concept. Kol: Cuisine with a Mexican soul, but with English ingredients.
NOSTALGIA FOR MEXICO
- He misses the huauzontles weathered in tomato broth, from Tepoztlán.
- There are times when I die for a mango, a mamey or a guava.”
SUCCESS
“Foreigners love our flavors, they find them attractive because they are new to them and fresh”
20th October 2020 Kol opened in Marylebone, London.
“Our cuisine is simply spectacular; it’s as if the world sees black and white and we see color.”
Santiago Lastra, chef at Kol