Modern Mexican Tasting Menu at Michelin-Starred KOL

At KOL in Marylebone, the tasting menu unfolds as both a culinary journey and a personal narrative shaped by Chef Santiago Lastra. Often described as a nomadic chef, Lastra’s path to London was defined by restless curiosity and rigorous research. Before opening KOL in 2020, he spent years cooking in some of the world’s most influential kitchens, including Noma under René Redzepi and Mugaritz with Andoni Luis Aduriz—experiences that sharpened his fascination with terroir, fermentation, and the intellectual side of flavor. Yet his deepest influence remains Mexico itself: the markets, moles, street food rituals, and the sensory memories of childhood that continue to guide his palate.

Determined to translate those flavors faithfully, Lastra spent a year traveling across the British Isles meeting farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and foragers, searching for ingredients that could echo the emotional resonance of Mexican cuisine. The tasting menu reflects that devotion. Native Mexican techniques—nixtamalization, slow smoking, vibrant salsas layered with acidity and spice—are applied to impeccably sourced British seafood, heritage grains, and seasonal vegetables. Each course balances heat, sweetness, alkalinity, and depth with remarkable precision, presented directly from the open kitchen in a setting that feels part laboratory, part hearth.

Wine pairings spotlight biodynamic and organic producers from Central and Eastern Europe, chosen for structure and tension rather than convention. The final act unfolds downstairs in the Mezcaleria, where rare Mexican spirits offer a smoky, contemplative close—a reminder that while the ingredients may be British, the soul of the experience remains unmistakably Mexican.