I’ve been catching up with friends a lot recently, aside from sharing stories we’ve been sharing a lot of food too, from Vietnamese food to Spanish tapas! These people clearly don’t want me to have my own personal plate! *Shifty Eyes*

Seriously though, sharing food with people you love and care about is one of life’s many pleasures. So when a couple of my dearest friends and I came across Arepas & Co whilst walking along Regents Canal (between Haggerston & Angel) we were keen to sample lots of dishes from the menu. It was filled to the brim of happy looking diners on a Sunday afternoon, all smiling and eating as if they literally were on holiday in Venezuela and not by a canal in Hackney.

Yuca – Cassava Fingers

There were so many interesting choices that we decided to selected a few dishes to share and what a great idea that was! Here’s a list of what we ordered: Arepas (Wheat and Gluten Free Corn Bread), Yuca (Cassava Fingers with garlic sauce), Tequenos (Cheese pastries), Tajadas (Ripe plantains topped with cheese) and  Ensalada de Palmito y Aguacate (Palm Heart, Avocado, tomato and red onion salad). We had Tequenos de Chocolate (pastries filled with chocolate) for dessert. To drink we had sugar cane lemonade & passionfruit milshake.

Tequenos

I had to get that list out before I rave about how wonderfully wonderful Arepas & Co is! (You’re all welcome to use the expression “wonderfully wonderful”…you’re welcome). It’s a special place that deserves to be celebrated! We loved the funky interior design, we were sat at an old school bench, complete with student carvings on the desk and had open views into the kitchen. The display of cassava and plantain (plantain is my favourite thing in the world by the way)  by the kitchen and the views onto the canal make it a truly unique venue. The staff were really friendly, offering great customer service and the food was delectable.

My favourite dishes were the Ensalada de Palmito (my friends and I were still talking about that dressing 2 hours later), the  Tajadas and the Arepas. Washed down with the sugar cane lemonade as the sun streamed through the window and Latin American music playing in the background, laughing with 2 of my beautiful friends; for a moment I forgot I was in England. But I’m glad that I was because it means I can go back to Arepas & Co anytime and you should too!!! I shall return for my taste of Venezuelan paradise in the heart of Hackney, it really was a delight.

Ensalada de Palmito, Tajadas and Arepas

Perfect for:

• Brunch with friends
• Family day out
• Private parties

http://arepaandco.com/

@arepaandco

Tequenos de Chocolate