Last Updated on January 4, 2026
Autumnal Feasting with a Mexican Twist in St Katharine Docks
This month’s Restaurant of the Month, Chicome (renamed from Chayote) is just the sort of place you want to have near your workplace. Stylish but unpretentious and with some terrific and interesting food it ticks a lot of our boxes for a night out with colleagues, friends, or a date, and is a worthy choice for our monthly accolade.
I’m no stranger to the Tower Bridge area but had never slipped down the side of the bridge to St Katharine Docks. It’s a gorgeous redevelopment in the heart of the City. There are a number of chain outlets with our Restaurant of the Month, Chicome being by far the most interesting.
The restaurant is named after a Mexican winged serpent, that is embedded in the culture and Mesoamerican roots of the country’s indigenous population. And, it is to Mexican cuisine that the restaurant looks for its primary inspiration, but with nods to Peruvian and Spanish to create an intriguing but coherent fusion. To create a further international twist, Chicome‘s chef is originally from Poland. Head Chef Tomasz Baranski has worked for the Hart Brothers at Spanish restaurant Fino then helping their Soho stalwart Barrafina get a Michelin star. He has also worked at Donostia in San Sebastian as well as spending time in Peru and with a CV like that he should know what he is doing.
The interior is simple and tasteful. With brick walls, wooden floors and tables, comfortable avocado-coloured banquettes and chairs, the main visual focus is on the plethora of hanging filament lamps and ropes. There is low-level groovy music playing, some of it South American, but conversation is still possible!
We kick things off with a couple of cocktails. The Hola is a blend of Pensador Mezcal, mango, oak smoke, citrus and lemonade. It is long, smoky and refreshing with a bit of a citrus kick. The Amargo is a lovely take on a Negroni, cool, elegant and less bitter than the classic with Barsol Pisco mixed with my favourite vermouth, Cocchi di Torino and Campari.
The menu is divided into Starters, Tostadas and Tacos, Mains to share, Sides and Salads and desserts. We start with some Prawn jalapeño croquetas with a guajillo (type of chilli) cream. They are hot and crisp, full of prawn flavour and lifted by the piquant sauce. It’s a lovely way to start the meal.
Seabass and green mango agua chile, topped with red caviar is a vibrant and zingy mix of textures – the crispness of the mango and the soft fish, with slices of chilli to give it an explosive mouth feel.
We tried a couple of dishes from the Tostadas and Tacos menu as it wouldn’t be polite not to. Crisp tostadas arrived loaded to the brim with avocado and sesame yellowfin tuna topped with a gentle guajillo chilli cream. I could eat this all day!
A satisfying plate of Chicken Tinga and sour cream on soft tacos featured tender shredded chicken and tomato with the crunch of shredded cabbage. We moved on to a bottle of Alvarinho ‘22 Azevedo, Vinho Verde from Portugal with its light lemon and peach notes.
Our sharing main dish was Hake a la Veracruzana, a perfectly seared hake fillet on a bed of diced tomatoes, olives and capers – if you were Italian you would call it Livornese.
A mixed leaf chayote salad brought together South American and European leaves for a generous bowlful of interesting flavours topped with the sweet-sour of pomegranate seeds.
Starchy Yuca fries could have been cut into thinner slices, but the black mint-flavoured Ocopa sauce with a mild Chipotle salsa made them very moreish!
We were very full at this point and had to pass on a gorgeous-looking cheesecake, settling instead for the cooling notes of lime and hibiscus ice cream.
followed by a sensational smokey Mezcal Espresso Martini!
I loved Chicome. It has the feel of a place that is well run and with a food and drink offer that you will want to return to. And with heated umbrellas and a fab view of the St Katharine Docks yacht marina, it’s a definite summer destination.
Chicome
2 Tower Bridge House,
St Katharine’s Way,
London
E1W 1AA
Other new restaurants that have caught our eye this month include:
Il Gattopardo – Mayfair’s new Italian Il Gattopardo is ‘inspired by 1960’s Italy’ and comes from the group of restaurants that includes Coya, Amazonico and Bar des Pres. The menu features of dishes from Sicily, Amalfi and the Southern Isles. With Executive Chef Massimo Pasquarelli having spent ten years with Alain Ducasse, The 85-cover restaurant will boast a hidden courtyard terrace with a fully retractable roof, as well as a 16-cover private dining room. The chic interiors, by Dion & Arles, will take influence from the style of the celebrated Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti.
Il Gattopardo – 27 Albemarle Street, Mayfair, W1S 4HZ
Colonel Saab – We are big fans of the first Colonel Saab in Holborn (see our review) and now restaurateur Roop Partap Choudhary is opening a second, larger Colonel Saab in Trafalgar Square this November. Dishes will include the Sunday Lamb Curry, Falahari Curry Kofta, the popular Gutti Vankaya – Andhra curry, baby aubergines in tangy tamarind gravy – and the restaurant’s outstanding desserts, including signatures like the Rasmalai Milk Cake in cardamom cream and Boondi Caviar or the Bengali, Mishti Doi Cheesecake in jaggery syrup.
Colonel Saab Holborn: 193-197 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7BD / Colonel Saab Trafalgar Square: 40-42 William IV Street, London, WC2N 4DD
Caviar House at Threadneedles At London Unattached we love caviar. So it is always exciting to hear of a new opening that focuses on our favourite salty balls. Caviar House at Threadneedles is a collaboration between Threadneedles Hotel in the City, and Caviar House & Prunier with a ground-floor cocktail bar and magnificent Dome Lounge, offering the finest seafood and caviar in the Square Mile. Classics such as the mouthwatering BALIK Discovery, an exceptional Seafood Platter, and the signature Lobster Brioche Roll as well as a caviar menu will also be offered showcasing both Prunier and Caviar House Finest.
Caviar House at Threadneedles – 5 Threadneedle Street, London, EC2R 8AY
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