El Pastor’s latest menu centres around a choice of either lamb barbacoa or cochinita pibil (slow-cooked pork), accompanied by salsas, toppings and corn tortillas, made fresh daily using heirloom, organic maize from Mexico.
Originating in central Mexico, barbacoa is traditionally made with marinated mutton, goat or sometimes beef, which is wrapped in ‘pencas’ (cactus pads) and cooked underground over hot stones. “For our version, we marinate British lamb shank in herbs and spices including morita chile (a smoked jalapeño) and Mexican oregano overnight,” says co-founder Crispin Somerville, “then wrap it in banana leaf, add stock, and braise for six hours.” This results in tender meat and a rich lamb consommé. “In Mexico, the consommé is often eaten first, like a soup. The meat is then shredded and served in tacos. Alternatively, you can go straight for the tacos, drizzling a little of the consommé onto the shredded meat for extra juiciness”.
Cochinita pibil is a slow-cooked pork dish from Mexico’s Yucatán state. “The pork is braised for six hours in Seville orange juice and achiote – a seed which gives a distinctive red colour and unique, slightly tannic flavour,” he elaborates. It’s complemented by red onions marinated in cider vinegar with habanero chillies and finished with crumbly ‘queso blanco' and lime.
For a larger feast, choose from a selection of El Pastor menu favourites to add on, including house-made totopos (corn tortillas chips) with Mexican chef’ Enrique Olvera’s lauded tarragon-scented guacamole, tuna or chicken tinga tostadas, refried black beans and El Pastor’s take on Mexican sweetcorn dish ‘esquites’. To drink, El Pastor’s marigold margarita is a nod to Mexico’s Dia de Muertos celebrations. “Marigolds have great significance around Day of the Dead,” explains Crispin, “they’re believed to coax souls back to the land of the living with their colour and powerful scent.” El Pastor adds a homemade marigold infusion to its signature margarita, made with a generous measure of El Jimador reposado tequila, plenty of lime juice, Cointreau and sugar syrup.
Originating in central Mexico, barbacoa is traditionally made with marinated mutton, goat or sometimes beef, which is wrapped in ‘pencas’ (cactus pads) and cooked underground over hot stones. “For our version, we marinate British lamb shank in herbs and spices including morita chile (a smoked jalapeño) and Mexican oregano overnight,” says co-founder Crispin Somerville, “then wrap it in banana leaf, add stock, and braise for six hours.” This results in tender meat and a rich lamb consommé. “In Mexico, the consommé is often eaten first, like a soup. The meat is then shredded and served in tacos. Alternatively, you can go straight for the tacos, drizzling a little of the consommé onto the shredded meat for extra juiciness”.
Cochinita pibil is a slow-cooked pork dish from Mexico’s Yucatán state. “The pork is braised for six hours in Seville orange juice and achiote – a seed which gives a distinctive red colour and unique, slightly tannic flavour,” he elaborates. It’s complemented by red onions marinated in cider vinegar with habanero chillies and finished with crumbly ‘queso blanco' and lime.
For a larger feast, choose from a selection of El Pastor menu favourites to add on, including house-made totopos (corn tortillas chips) with Mexican chef’ Enrique Olvera’s lauded tarragon-scented guacamole, tuna or chicken tinga tostadas, refried black beans and El Pastor’s take on Mexican sweetcorn dish ‘esquites’. To drink, El Pastor’s marigold margarita is a nod to Mexico’s Dia de Muertos celebrations. “Marigolds have great significance around Day of the Dead,” explains Crispin, “they’re believed to coax souls back to the land of the living with their colour and powerful scent.” El Pastor adds a homemade marigold infusion to its signature margarita, made with a generous measure of El Jimador reposado tequila, plenty of lime juice, Cointreau and sugar syrup.