London Eats: Pork belly, plantains and a side of Colombian pride
Diana Patricia Arizala first visited London more than a decade ago and vowed she’d one day open a restaurant in London.
Article content
From sizzling pork belly to seafood soup and steaks, the vibrant flavours of Colombia have found a new home in an upscale downtown eatery in London.
Toronto-based chef Diana Patricia Arizala opened a new location of her restaurant, Esto Es Colombia, in July, with a grand opening in August. The upscale spin on her Toronto eatery is tucked above Vice Supper Club at 89 King St.
It’s been a long time coming for the Colombian chef who, after 15 years of her first visit to the city, has fulfilled her vow to open a restaurant in London.
“‘One day, I will have my own restaurant here (in London),’ I said to myself,” Arizala recalled. “I’m feeling so proud about my goals.”
Back then, she learned that the local Colombian community had nicknamed the city “Londonbia” because of their sizable population, a discovery that sparked her dream.
“They have a lot of Colombians here, but the restaurant is not just for Colombians. It’s for everybody,” Arizala said.
Born in Colombia, Arizala moved to Canada in 2007 with her four children, starting her culinary career at a Greek restaurant in Winnipeg. In 2016, she opened the first Esto Es Colombia in Toronto at 2848 Dufferin St.
“The Toronto restaurant is more crowded, and on the weekends, you can’t find a table there,” she said.
The London location seats about 120 people and the restaurant shares the building with Vice Supper Club, a nightclub.
In the menu, there are dishes from multiple parts of Colombia, such as Medellín, Cali and the capital Bogotá.
“Here (in London) we find many Colombian people, but not everybody is from the same region or the same city. That’s why I chose the menu this way. It’s the most popular dish in every region,” she said.
One of the most traditional and complete dishes is the Bandeja Paisa ($28), served with white rice, beans, steak, pork crackling, egg, Colombian sausage, sweet plantain, corn flatbread and avocado.
“It’s nine items on one plate. The whole menu is practically on one plate,” Arizala said.
Another popular choice from the Pacific coast, Arizala said, is the Cazuela De Mariscos ($42), a seafood soup served with coconut rice, fried plantain and salad.
A dish from Bogotá, Ajiaco ($26) is a chicken and potato soup with a side of rice, salad and sweet plantains.
Besides its lunch and dinner menu, Arizala serves about 12 appetizer options to the crowd downstairs after the restaurant closes for meals, such as calamari ($17) and chicken wings ($18).
For Arizala, bringing Colombia’s rich cuisine to London is a “responsibility.”
“We (Colombians) are so rich in culture. In Colombia, my culture is (about) coming together with the food,” she said. “I’ve always had the responsibility to represent Colombia. This is part of my life.”
Esto Es Colombia is open Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.