Keep your calendars free on 2 November as Mexican restaurant KOL is set to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in its authentic culinary style. Founder of Michelin-starred KOL , and new restaurant Fonda, the Mexico City native, Santiago Lastra has put together an exclusive evening which welcomes some of London’s most acclaimed culinary and drink experts to put together a gastronomic line-up to collectively celebrate the Mexican holiday.
Celebrate Día de los Muertos at KOL
Langoustine, smoked chilli, sea buckthorn taco
The annual holiday is celebrated across Mexico, and is a time where families and friends celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed. Each area has unique traditions from fireworks and dancing, to more intimate moments, yet a common denominator is the exchanging of food. Home altars (ofrendas) are filled with the favourite foods and drinks of the departed, while iconic dishes like pan de muerta - a sweetened bread - are shared around.
Lastra has delivered these vibrant festivities to the heart of Marylebone, for a fun evening of food, music and cocktails. Harnessing the KOL kitchen Hélène Darroze, chef patron of The Connaught in Mayfair, Chef Isaac McHale of The Clove Club in Shoreditch; and third-generation sushi master, Endo Kazutoshi of Endo at The Rotunda in White City, will collaborate on a sumptuous nine-course menu, with two dishes from each chef, which blends everyone’s individual styles in the home of the 17th best restaurant in the world.
Huarache which includes Wagyu, green garlic, bone marrow
Referencing Día de los Muertos' essence of community and connection, the evening will present an innovative nine-course menu, with two dishes from each chef and a beverage course from the bar teams. The menu will meld individual styles and memories, crafting a culinary experience of cultural celebration. Accompanying the decadent dishes, drink pairings selected by Ago Perrone from Connaught Bar and his right-hand and assistant director, Giorgio Bargiani, will tantalise the taste buds with wonderful mixology.
Once plates have been cleared and stomachs full, the festivities have only just begun. The evening will continue downstairs to KOL’s Mezcaleria where there will be live mariachi music, flamboyant colours celebrating traditional art, vibrant face painting and, of course, an abundance of mezcal on offer. A final tipple of the night can be selected from an exclusive cocktail menu crafted for this night only, which is in collaboration with Volcan Tequila - this will be a fiesta you won't want to miss.
KOL Restaurant Girasol
Tickets for the collaborative dinner are £280 per person and are available here. This ticket includes access to the KOL Mezcaleria Fiesta. The KOL Mezcaleria Fiesta will begin at 20.00 and run until 01.00. Tickets for the fiesta after-party can be bought separately for £15 and can be purchased via the KOL website.
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