Opening date announced for Martha Ortiz's InterContinental Park Lane restaurant
Ella Canta, the Mexican restaurant from chef Martha Ortiz at the InterContinental Park Lane hotel, is set to open on 8 September.
The food will blend Mexican cooking traditions with contemporary techniques. Drawing inspiration from Ortiz's restaurant Dulce Patria, the London menu will feature several of the dishes from her Mexico City restaurant while also incorporating British produce.
Starters such as vampire ceviche with mango and sangrita sorbet; and crispy pork and amaranth tamal with chiltomate sauce and pickled red onion will be followed by main courses including seafood and lobster pozole with cacahuazintle corn. The menu will also showcase mole, the rich cacao sauce that is said to date back to the 16th century. At Ella Canta the pato al mole negro will carefully balance the intricate flavours of the mole sauce with Gressingham duck, plantain plume and corn-infused rice.
The design of the restaurant is being overseen by Simon Rawlings, creative director at David Collins Studio. Subtle mid-century references from Mexican modernists will run throughout, paired with bold contemporary artwork. Strong shapes, soft colours, and clean lines will celebrate Mexican artists such as Ricardo Legorreta, Gustavo Perez and Ernesto Alva, while a palette of blush pink, sun-bleached red, blue and tan will reflect the architecture and landscapes of Oaxaca.
Ella Canta's bar will offer a collection of rare mezcals and tequilas, and a concise list of signature cocktails entitled Mexico's Gifts to the World, which will highlight the country's ingredients, stories and cultural references.
Martha Ortiz's InterContinental Park Lane restaurant to be called Ella Canta >>
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