Nuevo style hits Hackney

The Murder Mile in Clapton is just a gunshot away, and the night we came to eat at Brazilian Rogerio David's Broadway Market restaurant, Armadillo, a body had just been discovered in London Fields. Luckily, last week they finally started work on the Tube to Hackney, so you can expect a better class of killing soon. In the meantime, the classic Latin American home-cooking served 'nuevo style' is worth risking the trip. Indeed, Armadillo keeps on pulling a crowd of discerning foodie and hip celeb customers - including Antonio Carluccio, who covets the cornmeal bread.

The frequently changing menu covers Brazil, Peru, Colombia and a bit of Mexico. We started with heart anticucho, su potato and huacatay cream. I assumed I was getting artichoke hearts, so when some lightly spiced lamb's hearts on skewers pitched up I was surprised. They were a delicious mistake on my part. Aubergine boudin, goat's cheese and a peanut, tomato and chipotle chilli salsa was a delicious mix. Ditto steamed prawns, tapenade, quail egg and potatoes huancaina (a sauce of feta and yellow chillies which was a fresh mix of salty and spicy). We all agreed: 'good 'ere, innit'. Fillet of beef churrasco, with potatoes chorreadas and rocoto picante, was a modest-sized piece of Argentinian cow, which tasted sublimely beefy.

Greatest praise was reserved for grilled tuna al comino with ratte potatoes and green beans with an avocado-green tomato aji. The fish was thick, perfectly seared and juicy, the aji a fresh and creamy relish. The pastry on the mozzarella, tomato, red onion and oregano empanada drew praise for its lightness. A variety of chillies was used in many subtle ways throughout, never pulling any vulgar unreasonable punches. Every dish was perfectly proportioned and we had room for three ace puddings - mine being some doughnuts made from pumpkin with a berry-juicy strawberry ice cream --and cheese: 'a crumbly, mature Spanish goat's cheese with home-made crackers'.

This meal just went on and on. I recommend the aged Guatemalan rum, Zacapa.
The menu would be alien to all but the most ardent Latino lover, and the lovely waitresses were quick to ask if we needed anything explaining.

I love places like this, where every corner of the menu offers up something tasty that I've never tried before, from the first Argentinian Quilmes beer to the final coffee, brewed with cinnamon and cocoa.

Crucially, the environment doesn't cosh you over the head with its ethnicity (I only like that if I'm paying under £10 a head). Armadillo has its lit recesses with decorative stuff from South America, the bar is upholstered in old coffee sacks, and there are a few Spanish phrases painted on the wall. Essentially, though, it is a posh-modest, white-walls-and-stripped-bare-boards sort of a joint. A spot of parquet would do wonders for the acoustics - for that reason only I would not suggest it as a first-date place. The clatter that mules make coming down the stairs from the loo could make a girl feel self-conscious if she weren't entirely chilled. And it could be mistaken for gunshots.