My Life In Food: Santiago Lastra, Kol & Fonda
The restaurant from my childhood that will always stay with me is called La Princesa. It started out as a small taquería in front of my school and later turned into a proper restaurant. It was a very low-key, traditional place where you could get quesadillas, tortas and tacos. They served dry cured meat that’s very traditional from Morelos, which is where I’m from. We would eat sopes or quesadillas with al pastor, and it was unbelievable. When I was a kid, I used to buy meat from them, and later, in high school, I would go there with my friends to hang out.
The first dish I learned to cook was a crab dip recipe on the back of a Ritz cracker box. I decided to cook it one day when I was 14 years old. I bought the ingredients, made it right away, and everyone in my family loved it.
When I was a kid, the restaurant I visited most often was Los Colorines in Tepoztlán. It’s a very traditional restaurant, and I used to love the mole there. They serve traditional indigenous dishes from Morelos, where I’m from, so I always found it exciting to go. Now it’s Japanese restaurant Koya in Soho. I love Japanese food, especially healthy dishes that feel like self-care. The udon and rice dishes are my favourites, and it’s walk-ins only, which is great if you’re after a last-minute lunch.
I don’t have a single favourite chef. Like all good recipes, it’s a good combination. My mentors are Andoni Luis Aduriz from Mugaritz in Spain and René Redzepi from Noma in Copenhagen. We are good friends now and I keep learning from them. I feel very lucky. I had my most memorable meal ever at Noma. It just really felt like my home.
My other food heroes are the indigenous women who cook in Mexico. One of them is Juanita – she taught me how to make mole. And Martha in Veracruz taught me so many preparations of indigenous cooking, including combining chocolate and chilli. That was the inspiration behind the chocolate and pasilla chilli sorbet we serve at Fonda.
One of my favourite dishes is fish tacos. I still remember some lobster tacos I had once in Baja California. I don’t like to pick favourite dishes at my restaurants, as it’s like choosing between children, but the Baja fish tacos at Fonda are also special. It was the first dish I made for the menu, served with a pistachio and cucumber salsa.
I think everyone in the world should go to Mexico to try proper quesadillas. For me, that means they are made with corn masa, Oaxaca cheese and green salsa.
My favourite recent restaurant opening is a toss-up. It’s between Legado in Shoreditch and Luso in Fitzrovia. Legado, from Nieves Barragán Mohacho, is a personal favourite. I’m half-Spanish and lived in Spain for four years, and Legado is a tribute to the country. It’s a way to experience Spain authentically without leaving London. The team just received their first Michelin star this week, which is exciting.
My perfect Sunday starts with coffee and writing in my creative journal. I’d work out in the gym and then go for some Japanese food. I also love to visit museums and ideally I’d also go to the cinema, before heading back home and cooking a roast.
My top recommendations for a date are Dorian, Mountain and Noble Rot. Noble Rot has it all: low lighting, a great atmosphere and a sexy vibe. It’s also one of the best restaurants in London for fantastic wines.
After a long shift, I love to cook miso soup with steamed rice. All you need is hot water, high-quality miso, then you can garnish it with tofu and shitake mushrooms or a piece of grilled fish. It’s my go-to dinner at home.
When I’m buying ingredients, I look for anything local and seasonal. I’m also very particular about condiments. They need to be high quality, especially staples like soy sauce, miso and chillies. I love healthy extras such as hemp or chia seeds, along with fresh fish and lots of vegetables. Finally, I’m always buying natural wine, cheese, sourdough and hummus.
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My most used ingredient has to be chilli – because what is life without spice? Although in Mexico, we don’t just say ‘chillies’ or call something a chilli sauce. We respect the varieties, so we would always say that's an ancho chilli sauce, or an arbol chilli sauce or a piquin chilli sauce.
The kitchen tool that everyone should have at home is a pestle and mortar. When you make your sauces in there, it feels like you’re working for it. I think you can taste the effort that’s gone into it.
If I’m entertaining at home, I’ll always make margaritas and tuna tostadas followed by roast pork with crispy skin. I have a lot of people on my dream dinner-party guestlist: Stanley Kubrick, Marcus Aurelius, Steve Jobs, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Whitney Houston, Issey Miyake and Leonardo da Vinci. Whoever your guests are, the secret to throwing the best dinner party is plenty of mezcal.
If I wasn’t a chef, I’d be a mathematician. It’s what I wanted to be before I started cooking. All my friends are mathematicians – so here’s a shout out to all the mathematicians out there.
For more, follow @SantiagoLas or book a table at Kol and Fonda. You can also pre-order his new cookbook, Mexican Soul, here.
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