Being a fan of most things pop up related I thought it would be fun if Steve and I tried out Club Mexicana a few months ago. This isn't your usual Mexican fare, it's vegan friendly and for a meat and cheese lover like myself I was curious to see how this would work. For £25 we were promised a 3 course meal with a cocktail which sounded like a pretty good deal to me. Club Mexicana were hosting their night in the Black Cat Cafe in Hackney. This is a really cute vegan cafe only a few minutes walk from Hackney Central station, with plenty of books and trinkets scattered about the place it has a really friendly vibe. Club Mexicana had is decked out in blow up tropical accessories for the night which was really fun.
Both Steve and myself had a Margarita and whilst this isn't my usual choice of cocktail it did have a good kick to it. If you prefer your cocktails salty rather than sweet than this one's for you. We also shared a bucket of Coronas (3 each) which costed £12 i.e. excellent value and a must drink for any Mexican meal.
We had a choice of starter, either seitan or black bean sopa de tortilla. I went for the black bean version and Steve the seitan. Both tasted the same in my opinion and very equally as tasty. The chillies gave it a nice heat and the mix of tortilla chips and vegetable made it surprisingly filling.
For the main course we decided to both have black beans but in the form of tacos and tortilla chips. Before these arrived we were given sweet potato wedges and a Mexican inspired club salad. The chips especially were delicious, coming with a chipolte sauce and tasting autnetically Mexican due to the spice. I would definitely have these again!My only concern was that they didn't come at the same time as the main course.
The toppings on both the tacos and tortilla chips were the same, a combination of beer soaked black beans, guacamole, creamed corn, chilli sauce, pickled onions, sour cream and fresh lime juice. I love soft tacos and tortilla chips so I can't say that I liked one of these more than the other. The toppings were delicious and I really did not notice that the cheese and meat which are normally a key ingredient in Mexican food were missing. The ingredients tasted fresh and tangy which is an extremely important quality for a Mexican feast to have. These mains really were delicious.
By the time the chilli chocolate desserts came I was close to bursting. The meal had been huge but I still managed to eat a bit of this spicy chocolate mouse. Any type of chocolate pudding gets a thumbs up from me and considering this mouse was vegan friendly I was extremely impressed with the creamy like consistency.
Club Mexicana is a really impressive pop up for anyone who likes Mexican food whether you're vegan or not. The experience is great value as I guarantee you will leave with a fully belly and a smile on your face. I'm looking forward to future pop ups with a greater selection of vegan friendly Mexican fare.
What vegan meals do you recommend x
