Can you tell us about the spirit of La Cocina Perrón?
After spending last winter in lockdowns we wanted to open a place where people could spend some quality time eating together and drinking together. The challenge was to try and make a place where the quality of everything was super high and authentic but the atmosphere was still fun and informal.
What makes you different as a dining experience?
There are plenty of places in Tunbridge Wells to go and have a traditional sit down meal but things are a bit more spontaneous here. You can still come for a traditional dinner at 7pm but it’s also possible to just spend the evening drinking margaritas or to grab a quick bite while passing through (we’re open till 1.30am at the weekend!).
Tell us about what’s on offer…
La Cocina Perrón uses traditional, authentic recipes, homemade salsas and high-quality ingredients. You can tell the attention to detail by the array of chillies on display imported from Mexico, the range of tequilas and mezcals at the bar and even the traditional tortilla presses we use for making their fantastic corn tortillas.
So what’s on the menu?
We keep the menu small so we can keep the quality high. We usually have around four or five tacos available and a couple of sides. Everything is focused on big flavours you just won’t get anywhere else. Try our incredible tangy tomatillo and jalepeño salsa, barbacoa slow cooked spiced lamb or our incredible Baja style fish tacos. We also serve Mexican chorizo which is a little different to Spanish. It’s not dry cured and it’s got a ton of flavour (we use a mix of guajillo and árbol chillies, all spice, cloves, paprika and Mexican oregano). We toast all of our spices whole and grind them fresh – it really makes the flavours pop and it’s a great way to add an extra dimension to your food.
And you’re making a name for shaking up some great cocktails aren’t you?
We do things properly here, no sugary mixers or gimmicks – just really good quality spirits, well balanced drinks and super fresh ingredients. For example, we have incredible espresso here from Ozone Coffee Roasters so we really take advantage of that. That espresso is so rich, full bodied and complex that it sits beautifully in an espresso martini. In fact it’s so good we don’t mess around with it adding Kahlua or other synthetic flavourings. Why add cheap coffee flavoured liqueur to an already exceptional coffee? We have a nice split of people coming for food and others who just come for drinks so it gives the place a great atmosphere. It feels more like a bar than a stuffy restaurant.
Tell us about your Tequilas and Mezcal…
We’ve got a killer range of them here so we can tweak things to just the right level. We serve our standard Margarita with Herradura Plata which is a great Tequila but we also make a mean Tommy’s Margarita with one of our top notch reposados, a very tasty Mezcal and jalepeño Margarita for the more adventurous. And then there’s the occasional special like our fresh pineapple Mezcalita or our ‘El Mejor’ made with Fortaleza Reposado.
To find out more about or to book a table visi
