With Mareida, London Gets The Chilean Restaurant It Never Knew It Needed
How often does something truly novel open in London’s culinary restaurant world? Yes, great restaurants offer fresh takes on Spanish, sushi and French Bistro, but when a place promises to champion a criminally underexplored cuisine, it’s worth sitting up and paying attention. Mareida is the first fine-dining Chilean restaurant in London, and it has been hotly anticipated since a soft-launch mini-residency at Carousel last September.
You might know it as one of the world’s premier wine regions, but what do you know about its food scene? Just don’t say “well, I’m familiar with Peruvian cuisine”. Yes, together they dominate a large portion of the Pacific coast of South America and feature ceviche and pisco, but their cuisines are distinct and unique.
What sets it apart
Mareida hasn’t taken its responsibility lightly. The brainchild of restaurateur Prenay Agarwal and his Chilean partner, they brought on board two of the country’s most celebrated chefs – Carolina Bazán to oversee the menu and Trinidad Vial Della Maggiora as the head Chef running the day-to-day. Chilean artwork adorns the wall, and Chilean artists play from the speakers. The bar is carved from stone from a Chilean quarry, the rocks of which also line the walls. It’s a love letter to the country as much as a restaurant.
It’s a love letter to the country as much as a restaurant
What we ordered
The creativity on show is seen right from the cocktail menu – a pre-meal sharpener is essential. In the lead up, I had found myself daydreaming about a Pisco sour, so I was obliged to order what ended up being two silky smooth house versions.
The benefit of Marieda mining new London territory is that you’ll likely try things you’ve never tried before. Sopaipillas, a golden fried pumpkin bread, were as delicious as the amusingly-named Tomato Bomb was inventive; a shaved tomato sphere with quinoa and grains in the centre.
Then there are the parts you might be more familiar with, but with a Chilean twist. You can have your choice of three different empanadas, filled with either a seafood mix of mussels, clams and prawns; beef, onion and raisin; or a vegetarian version with morel mushrooms. The ceviche was fresh and given a kick by a green chilli granita. For those like me who prefer their raw fish almost radioactively spicy, there’s a homemade hot sauce you can serve from a dropper, which really makes you feel like you’re handling something lethal.
For the main, I opted to take advantage of Chile’s luxuriously long coastline and get the catch of the day, which turned out to be sea bass (insert Jurassic Park joke here), and comes sitting atop a bed of avocado, quinoa and pebre.
To finish, this is also a place you will not want to skip dessert. We shared hojarasaca, an indulgent mix of dulce de leche, raspberries and vanilla that sits in the same family as a pavlova, and the membrillo, a pink sphere of an outer shell you crack open to reveal cheesecake foam, pecan praline and some of the best hazelnut ice cream I’ve tasted.
This is a place you will definitely not want to skip dessert
Verdict
A palpable amount of time, effort and consideration has gone into Mareida for it to showcase the best of Chile, and it shows. As a cultural ambassador, it is authentic, and as a new entry to London’s dining scene, it is welcome and original. There are also big plans. Since my visit, an entire vegetarian menu has been added, taking advantage of the array of bright and delicious produce the country can offer, and there is talk of turning the restaurant into a vibey, club-adjacent restaurant-bar on weekend evenings. It’s a fresh and welcome jolt in the arm.
