58a Camberwell Church Street,
London,
SE5 8QZ
0872 148 3700
The ViewLondon Review
With summer most definitely on the way I thought I’d go looking for something to compliment the lovely weather.Happily I stumbled across Cohiba, a well turned out little Mexican restaurant deep in the heart of Camberwell.
Here an increasingly regular crowd are turning up to sample the creations of Bulent Memis. Even though he’s Turkish, Bulent’s passions lie elsewhere, "I do French and Italian too" he said, "but I have to say I love Mexican best. I’ve been doing it for eight or nine years and I’m not bored yet."
This is apparent as he talks about his style and the menu at Cohiba. The latter is impressively large and comprehensive, taking in everything from authentic bar snacks to a range of tortilla mains and Swordfish steaks.
It seems that the most important thing to him is a strong sense of individuality. Explaining his cooking ethos he said: "If you paint a picture you do it in your own style, each brushstroke is you – cooking is just like that. You have the recipe, like the painter has his paints, but what you do with it and how you change the tastes is how you create your own style."
This attitude extends to the actual planning of the menu too, "The boss gives me the menu, but he knows I’m going to do it all my own way," he said. One day I might make a marinade one way, the next day I’ll make it different. It really depends on what you want to produce."
What he has produced is some of the best Mexican food I’ve tasted in some time. The dishes provided are truly huge and cheerfully presented and it seems that he has not only adopted the cooking style but the culinary outlook of Mexico - big portions, friendly surroundings and a plentiful supply of San Miguel.
To him the experience itself is important: "We have a lot of people coming here regularly now and this means I’ve got to be constantly on my toes. It’s not just the food they like but also the whole thing. The atmosphere is very important to a good meal. We have to make sure everything is the best it can be."
Although Cohiba doesn’t offer anything drastically new or trendy it does merit recognition. It’s a welcome change from all the ultra-exclusive city restaurants we’re plagued with these days.
So, my advice to you would be to get out there and try it for yourselves. After all, when was the last time you went Mexican? Since the Tex-Mex days of the late 80’s it has rarely put in an appearance.
Bulent knows what you’re missing. Now, so do I.
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