25 Swallow Street
W1B 4QR
Tel: 020 7437 9895
***NOTE THAT DESTINO NO LONGER EXISTS***
Date of Last Visit: Tuesday, June 14
The Victims: Nils, Bina, Jen
The Damage: 30 GBP per head, helped by a nice discount from TopTable.co.uk
I had a hankering for empanadas. I had been to Destino many moons ago, and it was quite tasty and atmospheric. I thought it was about time to make a return visit, so I invited the gang out for dinner.
We arrived at 7 and the restaurant was quite empty, and the hostess spoke very little English. Have no fear! We were soon upstairs at our table with one of the BEST waitresses I have ever had in London. When we asked for recommendations, she gave them, and she was totally on-target. All of her recs were fantastic.
Destino uses a "tasting menu" approach–like Latin tapas. We started with some guac and two different kinds of shrimp–one you had to work for, the other you didn’t. The easy ones were fantastic. Loved them! And the guac was great. The empanadas were okay–not what I was hoping for, but tasty nonetheless.
Then what else–we got another round of treats. Let’s see–there were some salmon tacos, that were just okay. There were some chicken skewers that were very yummy. Ah, dates wrapped in bacon–a new favorite! If I ever see these on a menu, I will order! Did we get any vegetables? I don’t remember!
For dessert, we split a tequila cheesecake slice and some very delicious chocolate hazlenut croquettes of some sort. Yummy, yummy, yummy.
All in all, a really nice experience, made even better by such helpful, efficient service. Really great.
The Verdict: I like it here. I think it’s not a place for mom and dad, but probably good for an office do or a girls’ night out.
