Greg Clarke: 'An Englishman doing Mexican food'
El Bolillo closes its doors after less than six months
+2 El Bolillo, a Mexican restaurant in Hove, has closed its doors after less than six months.
The restaurant offered Mexican delicacies such as tacos, tostadas, churros and tres leches.
El Bolillo is co-founded by Greg Clarke and Matty Salvetti.
Located on Church Road, it received excellent reviews for its food, cocktails, and welcoming atmosphere.
Greg is a renowned chef with a Michelin Star background working in restaurants like The Ledbury, Restaurant Tom Aikens and Midsummer House.
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Speaking to The Staff Canteen in a previous interview last year, Greg said: “I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent delving into the nuances of recipes in different regions and stuff like that.
“We’re trying to be as respectful as possible, keeping the integrity of how vibrant Mexico’s food is, but then just putting our own nod to it.
“People’s perception of Mexican food is Tex-Mex. It’s not Mexico. It’s South American, Texas, burritos. Mexico is such a vast country. Every area you go to is so different.
"Most of the fine dining restaurants over there have got chefs that have been inspired or worked in North America and Europe and then come back are they’re doing refined European food with Mexican ingredients.
“We’re doing the opposite, Mexican inspired food with European ingredients, so it’s quite funny.”
“The last thing I wanted this to be was some pan-Mexican restaurant.
“That’s our only failure at the minute, some people coming in thinking it’s going to be something like Wahaca. Then they come through the door and see it’s a little bit more refined than that and playful and creative.”
Matty added: “We wanted to create something that Greg and I would want to go and eat in. We’ve tried to keep it small and approachable in every level.
“We’ve got a really small team, everybody’s worked together before, so we have a really nice dynamic between us. It really shows, everybody laughs all weekend.”
The Staff Canteen has contacted Matty, Greg and the restaurant for comment.
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El Bolillo closes its doors after less than six months
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