Last Updated on July 25, 2023
Tequila flavours come to acclaimed London smokehouse
Temper, with locations across London in Soho, the City, Shoreditch and Covent Garden has garnered a reputation amongst meat lovers in the capital for excellent cooking in a dramatic setting with open fire pits and kitchens located in the middle of the restaurants. Diners are seated around busy chefs smoking, grilling and charring the BBQ menu or a range of fine steaks. All beef at Temper is grass-fed and is a rare breed selected from small farms and butchered in-house.
I was pleased to be invited to Temper’s Soho branch to preview their Cazcabel National Tequila Day Menu. An award-winning tequila brand, Cazcabel Tequila is the UK’s best-selling 100% agave tequila and they have collaborated with Temper to showcase three tacos, each paired with a different tequila, which is available at Temper restaurants until 29th July.
Before tucking into a round of tacos we each enjoyed a cocktail from the special Cazcabel menu. The ‘Hi Honey’ cocktail was comprised of Cazcabel honey and Chambord dry vermouth. The strongly perfumed cocktail was smooth and glossy with the rich sweetness of the honey shining through. We also tried the delicious ‘Coffee Flip’ made from Cazcabel coffee, rum, maple syrup, and egg whites.
On to the tacos, and first up we enjoyed the ‘Drunken Goats Cheese’ – charred goat’s cheese with pickled red onion, crunchy nuts, fresh short herbs, honey and lime dressing. The tacos were clearly put together with high-quality ingredients and the pickled red onion made for a strong contrast to the sweet and rich goat’s cheese. These tacos were accompanied by the smooth Cazcabel Honey, made from warm natural honey.
Next, we were served the ‘Drunken Goat’, this time with goat meat rather than cheese. The Somerset Cabroito Goat was smoked in Temper’s delicious BBQ rub and served with chipotle sour cream and green sauce with crispy shallots. The BBQ rub picked up the subtle flavours of the tender goat meat, and this was certainly a satisfying offering. Paired tequila was a more subtle type, Cazcabel Reposado, with balanced notes of earthy agave with vanilla and toasted oak, and the hot hit of jalapeno to complement the food.
Lastly from the tacos menu was the indulgent ‘Drunken Pig’ comprised of smoked ham hock tacos with pigs cheeks, refried beans, and smoked apple puree, topped with guindilla chilli and crackling. These tacos delightfully crackled and snapped in the mouth, and were plentifully stacked with rich ham hock and pig cheek. These tacos were accompanied by the excellent Cazcabel Blanco, which had flavours of agave, crisp citrus and smoky black pepper which brought a hint of spice to the final tacos of the evening.
When visiting Temper to try out their Cazcabel collaboration, it is also worth ordering from the rest of their famed menu. Temper restaurants carefully order the exact amount of meat which they expect to use in each service, so as to maximise quality and minimise waste. This means that some cuts can run out, and we were eager to try their latest offering – the flat iron steak off the bone. Steaks at temper are typically shared, and the flat iron steak which arrived at our table simply served on a plate and drizzled with sea salt was a plentiful portion of high-quality beef. Served on the rarer side, this was a fine cut of meat which oozed with flavour and certainly lived up to Temper’s premier reputation.
We also enjoyed the Mezcal prawns, which staff informed us was one of the most popular items on the BBQ menu. Served in a fresh and citrusy sauce, the prawns were perfectly prepared with soft tortillas and can be recommended as a sweet and refreshing contrast if ordering lots of beef-based dishes as well.
To end our meal on a sweet note, we also ordered from the dessert menu. The deep dish bigardeiro cookie with fior di latte ice cream was moreishly gooey and doughy. The lime sorbet with mezcal shot really stole the show for this section of the menu, however. The very strong mezcal was overpowering by itself, but combined with the lime sorbet it was transformed into a perfect balance of sweet and bitter flavours.
Worth a visit at any time, Temper makes an excellent dinner choice at any one of its locations across the capital as it celebrates national tequila day with Cazcabel in style with an exciting special menu available until 29th July.
temper Soho
25 Broadwick Street
Soho
London
W1F 0DF
02038793834
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