Paladar Restaurant Review: A Fiery Slice of Latin America in Southwark, London

If there was one thing we all need a little something of in our lives, its colour. We walk around London dressed in muted dark tones, blending into the concrete with not a smile on our faces, but perhaps we need to show those pearly whites and flash those stripy socks just that little bit more and really – I am trying. But if that’s not very you, then why not let someone else do it for you through what we all know and love – food. I say that because one very infectious place I recently discovered has all of that and that’s Paladar in Southwark. Colour, a big personality and some very lovely staff.

In both languages, the word ‘paladar’ means ‘palate’, referring to taste and in Latin America Cuba, a paladar is also a small, privately run restaurant with character – which is exactly what this restaurant is. Paladar was founded by Charles Tyler who after a trip to Latin America in 2013, he was blown away by the quality of the wines and local cuisine which was enough to convince him to open his own restaurant, bringing Paladar to life. We sat outside in the restaurants courtyard on our evening with a flight of delicious wines and started a small nibble (Pa’ Picar) of crispy pork belly with agave & sriracha chilli sauce reduction. Utter heaven.

Two more dishes from the so-called “nibbles” section of the menu were some of the most exciting and perfect for settling you in. Gorgeous empanadas were filled with slow-cooked beef brisket and a coriander-chilli sauce for dipping – which was faultless, while the green plantain crisps with a side of taquero guacamole were incredibly addictive. So much so that you should probably order two portions. Just in case.

The cassava fritters felt like they magically appeared on our table as I don’t quite remember us ordering them (maybe that’s the wine?), but I’m so glad we got to try them. Golden and crispy, gooey on the inside and each bite transporting you to Latin America – especially when dipped into that vibrantly coloured mora compote and tamarind sauce.

I probably have far too many favourite dishes, but one which I thought really delivered both in terms of flavour and execution was this plate of grilled octopus. It cut through like butter and all of the accompaniments exploded in the mouth. Both the unusual tempura breadfruit and candied lime & red onion pickle made this dish really sing, complimenting the flavour of that seafood beautifully. The red wine pairing, served slightly chilled was also fantastic – especially as I’m so used to drinking white wine with my seafood.

Tuna tartare & quinoa tian with taro crisp and chipotle mayonnaise is a must, if not just for that excellent quality tuna and spicy mayonaise. The palm heart tiradito with aguachile, sweetcorn and jalapeño pickle is your go to plate for colour and will leave you salivating from the gorgeous acidity and punchy, tongue tingling sauce.

We continued our meal with glass of red wine, this time a Tannat from Uruguay which again was a first for me. I can’t recall ever trying a wine from this country and I only hope it won’t be the last. It went so well with the roast aubergine which was served on a bed of fried beans,  black sauce and Maya hummus. The wine really cut into the richness of the dish nicely, but stilling holding up against the bold flavours. Most surprising plate of food for me was the roast chicken with chocolate-chilli sauce, beetroot & white onion pickle. That chocolate sauce was really something special and something I’d love to recreate back at home.

A small herb laced pallet cleanser later, glass of sweet luscious wine and some rather epic churros, which to my surprise arrived black. These are in fact blue corn churros which were full of flavour, had lots of crunch and great for dipping into that coffee dulce de leche and chocolate sauce. Very rich and well worth that lifetime on the hips.

I had such a lovely evening at Paladar and came away feeling not just incredibly satisfied (and a little tipsy), but educated in all things Latin American. Wines I’ve never tried before, ingredients I’ve never tasted and flavour combinations you won’t find elsewhere. Paladar is a lovely little place run by some terrific people and it’s not a matter of if I’ll be back, but simply when.

NB: Our meal was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight.