Last week I visited MNKY HSE, a fairly new restaurant over in Green Park. I’ve been wanting to go for a while and I was happy I made time for it.

A glamorously fun place with its low lit dining area, the fabulous South American tapas and the general buzz even on a week night. The name itself has an glam edge about it and the brand is represented throughout….

We chose a bottle of Wine with the help of a staff member and it was perfect for my palette. He even pulled out a coravin for us to try it in case we did not like the Taste of the chosen bottle. I have to admit I’ve never been to a restaurant that offered me a taste of a corked bottle before purchase, fantastic service. The glass was perfectly chosen to air the wine we were drinking, another small but good point of service even with a white wine.

The food menu had just enough options to not over complicate matters especially for me who can never decide exactly what I want – because I want to taste everything!

To accompany our wine we started with some spiced shishito peppers to open up the taste buds. THEN ….You can’t eat Latin American and not try Tostadas – The Wagu Tostadas were divine, succulent meat thinly sliced, each mouthful packed so much Latin American flavour. The Duck Confit Carnitas served with Tomatila Sauce are a definite must have, the meat was perfectly cooked and the fresh sauce gave it that extra punch.

The one dish that stood out amongst others – The Courgette Flowers, stuffed full of all the goodness of goats cheese and poblano peppers – YUM! I love courgette flowers, they look beautiful and taste amazing when stuffed and the peppers added that tang and spice to elevate the goats cheese….a great flavour link to Latin America.

Food was plated up to my standards, with each dish having its own personality with Freshness, crunch, spice, colour and most of all design…

It was a beautiful evening  in the hip and trendy eatery, an atmosphere that was warming and ambient with the addition of the live band playing after 9pm- a bonus!