Boho Mexica

Although Boho Mexico is in an unpromising site on Commercial Street, it is aiming higher than the formulaic TexMex food that we have sadly grown used to in London: there is not a burrito in sight here. There is only a cursory wine list but they have Bohemia, for me the best Mexican beer, and I am reliably informed that the margaritas were fine. The premises is split into separate restaurant and bar areas, though the former is very casual, and so the whole place is effectively a casual bar serving snacks.

You are encouraged to try a couple of the snacks per person, followed by a main course, and this we did. Guacamole Tia Patty was one of the least good dishes, the avocado fresh enough but lacking spice or seasoning (10/20). Much better was Caldo Tlalpeno (£3.95), a soup with smoked chipotle and shredded chicken, thickened with chickpeas; this has plenty of taste and the chickpeas were good, having just a little firmness left (13/20). Prawn cocktail Acapulco style (£5.45) had decent prawns and a lively sauce (11/20). A red salsa with tortilla chips appeared to be freshly made and had a good chilli kick (11/20).

Tacos were offered as a trio of small soft corn tortillas with assorted toppings. Tinga Poblana (£3.50) was shredded chicken cooked with tomatoes and chipotle chile sauce, and was rather bland (11/20). Better was slow-cooked pork served with salsa and coriander (£3.50), the pork fairly tender and the salsa freshly made (12/20).

One of the best dishes was Tostados de Ceviche (£5.45), a pair of crispy tortillas topped with sea bass that had been marinated in lime, lemon and herbs. The fish was topped with a salad of lettuce, tomatoes and Serrano chile. The had a pleasing freshness, the fish fresh and the salad good, the spices and citrus marinade working well (13/20).

There was even a mole sauce on offer, chicken with a chilli and chocolate sauce (£5.45) sprinkled with sesame seeds and offered with a side of herb rice. The chicken itself was a little stringy, but the sauce was decent enough, though I have eaten much better mole sauce in the USA; this had just a little too much bitterness (11/20). Pork tenderloin in a herb sauce (£5.85) was enjoyable, the meat moist and the sauce good (12/20). Corn bread (£5.25) with Chipotle chile had a good fresh corn salsa (11/20).

Desserts were less reliable, Bunuelos de Navidad (£3.50) being dough fritters drizzled in sugar cane syrup i.e. churros, but these were dried out and disappointing (10/20). Better was a corn on the cob with chilli, mayonnaise, lime and cheese (also £3.50). Service was basic but friendly enough throughout. We ended up ordering practically the whole menu between four of us, and with plenty to drink, £41 a head seemed quite fair; it would be easily possible to spend much less. Overall this was certainly a cut above the usual TexMex offerings in London, and even though there was some unevenness in the cooking this was felt like a place that was really trying to bring a taste of Mexico to London, rather than just cashing on familiar TexMex clichés.