Another addition to the firmament of joints gentrifying up the stretch north of Victoria Park around Lauriston Road, Mayan King held their opening party on Monday night.
A Mexican-themed tapas lounge bar so on-trend that they're yet to serve up a website, Mayan King is run by the aptly named Mundo Farerra. The interior is dark and moody, even lascivious, with lashings of red paint and token Mesoamerican statues and trinkets hanging from the walls. The clientele, drawn heavily from London' s strong Latin scene, seemed to enjoy the vibe, despite the heating being cranked up on an already balmy day, perhaps to recreate the sweaty funk of a humid summer's afternoon in a bar off Mexico City's Zócalo. Luckily, proceedings spilled out on the street out front, while a covered patio out back also offered cooler climes.
On the menu front, Mayan King doesn't disappoint. The cocktail list is plentiful, with all the usual classics available, alongside a range of wines, and for the humbler palate bottles of Negra Modelo are stocked up in the fridge. The sampled food was also excellent: servings of ceviche accompanied by a bright green habanero salsa that is still trying to elope with our taste buds days later, and chorizo-stuffed quesadillas with an authentic guacamole, were just some of the highlights.
A taste of the New World, then, though with distinctly New Age prices: the increasing division between the haves and the have nots in Hackney is not likely to ease at a venue where getting a round in won't leave you much change from 30 quid.
Mayan King, 91 Lauriston Road, E9 7HJ (map).
