ON THE FOOD
RADAR New openings, must-try menus and foodie finds
Artful eating
Carrie Mitchell visits El Cartel Roxburgh, the newest addition to the Mexican street food family
I Something For Everyone
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have a confession – I have never eaten at El Cartel. Though this is not for lack of trying. Many an evening I’ve rocked up to the Thistle Street taqueria hoping to bag a table but my appetite has never been able to withstand the inevitable long wait. Fortunately, the new restaurant (the third in the family) is positively cavernous in comparison to the titchy original and, best of all, you can actually book. I know, right? Revolutionary. Speaking of which, the first thing to catch my eye, when I eventually find the restaurant hidden down a close off the Royal Mile, is a huge mural apparently inspired by the Mexican Revolution. With bold colours and giant dimensions, it’s hard to tear my eyes away but my dining companions arrive at the same time as a round of frozen margaritas, £7.50 each, so my attention is understandably diverted. Our friendly waiters keep the icy drinks coming while we take our time over the menu, eventually ordering almost one of everything. Mere minutes pass before a colourful array of food begins to arrive, transforming our table, plate by plate, into a work of art in itself. Not that it stays pretty for long – a bowl of Guacamole National, £7, is speedily scooped up with crispy plantain chips; sweet, fried Chamoy wings, £9, are torn into with sticky fingers; cream cheese hot jalapeño bombers, £5, explode in our mouths; and silky salmon ceviche, £8, is savoured only briefly before we turn hungrily to the tacos. There’s a slow cooked pork shoulder (Cochinita Pibil, £7), perfectly charred yet pink flat iron steak (Carne Asada, £7), battered cod with punchy pico de gallo (Baja Cod, £7) and the obligatory veggie option (Sweet Potato, £6). When we realise we’ve demolished the lot, we’re bereft. There’s only one thing for it – another round of margaritas, my friend. El Cartel Roxburgh, 1 Roxburgh’s Court, 323 High Street, EH1 1LW. Tel: 0131 220 5924, elcartelmexicana.co.uk
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