Chino Latino....vibes of Spanish tapas or Mexican food? Not quite. In fact, this restaurant serves up some of the most exquisite Pan-Asian dishes I have ever tasted. I can only guess the name comes from the Chinese, South East Asian and Japanese inspired cuisine, mixed with the mouth-watering Latin cocktails on offer at the bar.
Hidden away in the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel on Albert Embankment, this restaurant is modern and stylish. It was hard to tell whether its customers were solely hotel guests or whether this restaurant's reputation was highly regarded by the local Londoner. Personally, visiting my parents who were staying at this hotel over the weekend. Now down to business -the food! To avoid any shock on opening the menu, prepare yourself for the high priced dishes. However, don't be put off by this as you are guaranteed a truly delicious meal.
The menu offers a range of ways to structure your dinner - small dishes such as sushi, sashimi or tempura, as well as a variety of main dishes. This informal structure really allows you to explore the menu and mix up the cuisines to your liking. Click here for the full menu.
We decided to base our selection around sharing, and chose four sharing dishes, followed by a couple of mains:
Small dishes
Crispy duck, cucumber, chili, spring onion and hoisin sauce
Tempura
Prawns, wrapped in shiso leaf
Chino’s new style Nigirizushi
Kani kani, crispy soft shell crab, avocado
Grilled scallop, tobiko, avocado, cucumber
Main dishes
Malaysian baby chicken, green beans, red peppercorn, curry sauce
Barramundi parcels, lime lemongrass oil, grilled asparagus
Sides
Jasmine rice
Lime and coriander egg fried rice
Three way latte coffee crunch, iced milk, whiskey foam
You can't avoid the fact that this place is pricey. On average you are looking at approx £40pp for food. However, the taste and presentation of the food, great wines and attentive waiting staff make for a very pleasant experience.
The hotel is located on the South Bank, Albert Embankment, a 5-minute walk from Vauxhall train/tube station.
Follow Chino Latino on twitter: @ChinoLatinoEU
