For a country named after a hot pepper, Chile doesn’t get nearly enough culinary representation in this city.
Well, that’s about to change.
Mareida is set to open this summer in Fitzrovia, in the shadow of the BT Tower, bringing with it the kind of inventive, cutting-edge, Michelin Star-baiting Chilean cuisine that gets people in Soho House bathrooms declaring trends.
The menu is designed as a deep dive into the country’s overlooked gastronomic identity, drawing a straight line from the mountains to the coast, via the capital – and connecting them will be Head Chef Trinidad Vial Della Maggiora, and the hyper-talented Carolina Bazán, once crowned Latin America’s Best Female Chef by the World’s 50 Best. And they’re both Chilean, which helps.
As for who’s not Chilean? That would be the restaurant setting it all up, one Prenay Agarwal (pictured above). But he did marry his Chilean partner, and spent a year living in Chile and “immersing himself in the food culture”, which is what inspired this while enterprise. He’s clearly in love with the country and the food, so there’s that.
We can also be pretty confident that it’ll be good too, thanks to the fact that the concept has already been test-driven (and applauded) in a residency at Carousel last year. Dishes included:
- Lamb Corn Cakes
- Fish Tartare with Granita in an Ice Cream Cone
- Fried Pumpkin Pastry, Potato Pancake, Seasoned Butter
- White Chocolate, Passion Fruit, Black Sesame and Quinoa Moai (AKA Easter Island statues).
- Scallop Parmesana
- Grilled Sea Bass, Quinoa, Avocado, Pebre, Chilli
The space itself is being handled by Santiago-based architect Macarena Aguilar, with three commissioned Chilean artists contributing work themed around the country’s natural landscape. And, to round it all out, DJ Raff – who’s spent years mining the musical seams of Chile, Peru and Bolivia – will be curating the soundtrack.
In other words, Mareida isn’t just bringing Chilean food to London. It’s attempting something rarer: a restaurant that captures the full breadth of a country’s cultural identity, and drops it into the middle of W1.
NOTE: Mareida is set to open in June in Fitzrovia. E’ll be back then with the full scoop. In the meantime, you can find out more at the Mareida website.
Mareida | 160 Great Portland Street, W1W 5QA
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