With burrito joints and taco stalls now ubiquitous across London, how does the aspiring Mexican-tinged restaurant make itself stand out? This week the branch of Wahaca on the South Bank began serving chapulines fundido: fried grasshoppers with cheese. A popular dish in Mexico, it's rare to find it this side of the Atlantic, and Wahaca has pulled off something of a marketing coup here, to judge by the press they've received. The dish is only available at the South Bank restaurant, and is being tried out for one month only, though if popular the grasshoppers may migrate to the menu permanently.
On a similar, Benito's Hat upped the authenticity ante this week by introducing a new burrito filling: puerco con nopales, or pork with cactus.
From the annals of obvious puns comes Mother Clucker, a pop-up restaurant at the Endurance pub on Berwick Street, Soho. Catering for the seemingly insatiable appetites for sloppy Americana, the restaurant will be serving up fried chicken and other southern delicacies from 18 March until 28 April.
What is being described as Britain's first "calorie neutral restaurant" opens in Covent Garden for today only. Diners at Steam will be encouraged to stretch before and after eating, and they'll be seated on vibrating pads to help shift any lingering calories. The food, all of it steamed, will be prepared by Frederick Forster of The Boundary. It may come as little surprise to learn that the idea is from kitchen utensil maker Miele.
Finally: a pop-up Dior Cafe opens within Harrods this week, featuring a menu stuffed with selections inspired by the 1972 cookbook La Cuisine Cousu-Main. It opens on Saturday in the store's fourth floor.
