Zuaya. Discover Delicious Latin American Flavours In The Heart Of Kensington

Andy Mossack gets an exotic taste of Latin America at Zuaya in Kensington.

Tucked away in tiny but well-heeled Kensington Court, a bijou pedestrian alley just opposite Kensington Palace, Zuaya offers up a joyous fusion of exotic flavours and sounds of south America.

The first of a clutch of restaurants from entrepreneurial Spanish twins Alberto and Arian Zandi, that now includes Riviera, and Como Garden, both of which have previously garnered rave reviews from me in TripReporter. Como Garden is an authentic Italian literally next door, while Riviera is a very glitzy place in St James Street echoing the flavours and vibe of sultry south of France.

Zuaya first opened its doors in 2018 and since then has become something of a neighbourhood staple for locals and tourists alike, and I must admit, a visit from me has been long overdue.

So it finally came to pass on a recent balmy Saturday evening when I turned into Kensington Court and caught the familiar sounds of Latino music a few doors down. Once inside there was no doubting the exotic provenance of the fare on offer. A prominent jungle theme abounded: from abundant foliage seeping from the ceiling to various tropical subjects on wall art.

A large bar dominated the ground floor, just as well really as the cocktail list was overflowing with Latin-inspired signature mixes including a mai pina (£17), dia de la los Muertos (£17), London to Lima (£15) and my personal favourite an agave negroni (£15) which, on the recommendation of Restaurant Manager Guiseppe, (a company veteran, he opened Como Garden next door, but is back where it all began) I ordered, and it certainly hit the spot. Bar aside, the ground floor interior has limited space, but there is a lot more seating downstairs, including one or two cabana-like tables for larger parties.

We kicked off the food with three south American appetizer favourites: guacamole (£9), beef empanadas (£7), and a goat cheese and fig salad (£14). The empanadas arrived on a bed of coriander chimichurri and were deliciously moreish, as was the salad which also had grapes, lambs lettuce and a belter of a citrus dressing.

The star of the show however had to be the guacamole (£9) which came with all the spicy trimmings, a bowl of crispy sweet potato crisps (instead of tortilla chips) and mixed at the table in a bowl whose provenance could have been straight from the Mayans. Plenty of theatre here, but whether it added to the enjoyment or not didn’t matter as the taste was a total joy and took me right back to balmy nights in Panama spent devouring Guacamole.

As the evening light dimmed, the table candles were lit and it all got a bit more romantic, just in time for our main course.

We had decided on a couple of signature meat dishes, after all this was a charcoal grill steakhouse at heart – a traditional 350gr salted Brazilian picanha rump (£28) sliced at the table, and a 200gr Iberic pork rack (£18) that came on its own mini charcoal grill. The rack had been marinaded in sweet paprika and honey and for me was the highlight. A note to anyone who hasn’t tried picanha before, being rump, it can be a little chewy so make sure it is cooked a little on the well side. Our side of charred tender stem broccoli (£10) was an excellent accompaniment as was the glass of ruby red Syrah El Otro tinto which went down a treat.

There are options for non-meat eaters too from what I could see on adjoining tables, including a whole grilled sea bass (£25) garlic king prawns (£25) and tuna carpaccio (£19).

Kensington, and particularly High Street Kensington is not short of restaurants by any means, yet Zuaya manages to fulfil the need for an authentic neighbourhood restaurant that can satisfy the locals while at the same time attract the many tourists who visit London’s affluent post codes but are seeking a more affordable dining option. Zuaya, ticks all those boxes and let’s face it who doesn’t like a little Latin American pizazz.

Food pics (C) Andy Mossack