Trendy Essex Road is littered with achingly cool pubs, teenage hipsters and branches of fashionable chains such as The Diner and Giraffe, all vying for attention amongst the local nightlife. In their midst is Sabor, a restaurant offering Latin American cuisine with European affectations.
This attractive restaurant’s decor could almost be classed as minimalist if it wasn’t for the brightly coloured Mexican masks that hang on the walls at a sensible space from one another. The long, narrow dining room seems popular with young couples wanting a smart, well priced eatery for a Friday night.
The cocktail list includes a refreshing pisco sour, blackberry caipirinhas and classics such as margaritas and daiquiris –a dry martini luckily arrives with the required quantities of gin and vermouth, despite the waiter asking whether I would like a single or a double.
The menus feature dishes from all over the South American continent, from Cuban slow-braised oxtail to Argentinian rib-eye steak, from the world-renowned ceviche to the more adventurous Peruvian rabbit slow-cooked in spicy chocolate sauce. Furthermore, Sabor offers a recession-busting set menu (which includes dishes from the main menu) with two courses being priced at only £15, or £17.50 for three.
A starter of sweet corn fritters consists of two plump little savoury pancakes served with a chunky avocado salsa and a piquant tomato sauce. The cassava fritters are similar, but stuffed with mushrooms and oozing cheese.
The moqueca is a chowder-like stew with prawns, mussels, swordfish and red snapper in a creamy tomato and coconut sauce; the aji de gallina contains tender pieces of peppery chicken breast served over a very saffrony mash and a fiery sauce made with chillies, coriander, rosemary and garlic. Presentation-wise, this is the European version, as in Peru the chicken is shredded and mixed up with the other ingredients, however this method means each ingredient can be savoured individually.
So far, so tasty, but the pastel de acelga is the most heavenly: wispy flakes of filo pastry cover a terracotta pot of Swiss chard, sweet onion and generous amounts of feta cheese.
For dessert, the dulce de leche cheesecake beckons, with its brulee-like milk caramel topping and dollop of mora, a sharp-flavoured compote of raspberries that makes an excellent pairing.
It’s little wonder Sabor is replete with customers by 7pm; every dish sampled has been flavoursome and characterful, and at the risk of sounding terribly twee, each one was delivered with a smile. It is Essex Road after all.
