"Within seconds of walking into Fonda we heard three different tables order champagne palomas—this is a Mexican restaurant with a distinctly Mayfair mentality. It looks like a chic corner of Tulum with dusty clay-coloured walls, stylish servers in ochre workwear jackets, and enough foliage to scratch the elite plant nursery itch of the designer labels crowd. By the back wall, there’s a huge fluffy pink sloth with a gold-embossed smile who does resemble one of our recurring sleep demons but, hear us out, is all about what a great dinner at Fonda should be—wearing something OTT and enjoying the buzz of the room. Even if the fussy, Borrower’s portion-sized food convinced us that musty butternut squash and zesty aguachile just don’t want to be friends. photo credit: Rebecca Dixon photo credit: Fonda video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley photo credit: Rebecca Dixon Much like at its fellow British produce-only fine dining sibling Kol, everything from the glistening micro ceviche to the dainty ceramic jars of salsa are all technically very clever and if aesthetics could feed us, we’d be rubbing our bellies in self-satisfied haze. Alas, beauty can only go so far. Case in point: a confit pork shoulder carnitas that looks like one of the world’s most beautiful crop circles, but is too small to share and comes with crackling that’s a certified dental risk. But then sometimes, Fonda pops a chunky piece of creamy fish on a hypnotically chewy taco alongside a pistachio mole that’s smoother than any chat-up line. And that’s when the good times start, over something a little more—by Fonda’s meticulous Type A standards—decidedly care-free that won’t steal or halt the conversation, but encourage it with each comforting, casual bite. At her best, Fonda knows how to let her hair down and for the best possible experience here you should follow suit. Treat it as a fabulous place with taco nibbles, a pink sloth photo-op, and of course, those free-flowing champagne palomas. Food Rundown photo credit: Rebecca Dixon Ceviche We never thought we’d disinvite butternut squash from a party. And yet, here we are. The razor-thin slices add a mustiness that stands in the way of the fresh, zingy loveliness of the sea trout. We’re very into the aguachile though—it has a heat like a climber scaling up spicedom with each bite. photo credit: Rebecca Dixon Baja Taco The fanciest fish finger in town, all wrapped up in a chewy wheat tortilla. It’s simple but comes with a genius and creamy, whipped, smooth green dip whose origin story as pistachios you’d never guess unless, like us, you flag down the closest server and ask “what is this magical green goo?”. video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Carnitas The light, chewy tortillas are hiding in a pouch, the tender pork requires repeated dollops of salsa to enter the spice realm, and there is no way to use supersized tweezers to garnish with vegetables without questioning whether this is all a bit silly. Also, that pork crackling is borderline fillings bait. video credit: Heidi Lauth Beasley Callo The biggest scallop we have ever seen. No hyperbole, just a fact. Our eyes were suitably impressed but any scallop creaminess is overwhelmed by the habanero salsa and the corn chicharrón sidekick." - Heidi Lauth Beasley
