Decimo – Spanish for “tenth” – is a Mexican-Spanish restaurant by Peter Sanchez-Iglesias. Aptly, it lives at the top of the brutalist The Standard Hotel in King’s Cross. Though not usually in search of fancy restaurants sitting on the top of buildings, Decimo seemed to be both style and substance. The chefs here use the charcoal grill to playfully combine flavours. The open kitchen operates around a huge wood-fired grill, leaving wisps of subtle smokiness through the menu and space.
Stepping into Decimo fills you with warmth and sunshine thanks to the burnt orange and earthy hues punctuated with vibrant green cacti and succulents. The restaurant is open-plan with floor-to-ceiling windows, two big buzzing bars and skyline views. It’s like a 1970’s glamorous Mexican beachside villa where Hollywood stars might vacation. Taverna style furniture upholstered in luxurious velvets with Missoni style prints add softness to a space that wows but doesn’t overwhelm. Like the rest of The Standard, it’s a mix between grown-up glamour and playfulness, with a menu that doesn’t take itself too seriously and a bold interior that others might struggle to pull off. With a backdrop of the grand St. Pancras station on one side and central London on the other, the restaurant is an artful eclectic mismatch of styles.
Though don’t let the abundance of bars and over-the-top décor fool you into thinking Decimo is all about design. As the hotel’s flagship restaurant, the dishes leaving its kitchen are thoughtful, moreish and, most importantly delicious.
To bite, Spiced Totopos & Guacamole (£9.50). The totopos are very moreish: freshly fried, smokey and very crispy alongside the limey guacamole. They’re very easy to finish off notwithstanding the small portion of guac alongside.
Given size, the Tostadas and Tacos here function more as “bites” or starters – though still very much worth ordering. The veggie tacos features Fried Plantain & Black Beans (£7). It’s a dreamy combo: the plantain provides a crispy bite above melt-in-the-mouth creamy beans. Plenty of chilli give the tacos a spicy kick – though just the right amount to enliven the palette.
The veggies here function more as mains. Not least, patatas bravas (£8). Served above a layer of moreish tomato sauce and finished with a drizze of aioli, they’re very generally portioned and satisfying. Though the potatoes have a crispy finish, they’re tender inside: very satisfying.
The courgettes with lime (£10) will provide a solid green for any meal here. Grilled to perfection and with a zingy finish, it’s a wonderful way to see out the last of the summer courgettes.
The star of the veggies, though, must be hispi cabbage & garlic (£10). With a charred finish, they have a great depth of flavour. A solid Autumn hero veg.
London is used to expensive, multi-million-pound hotel restaurants that mean well and talk a good game, but that are actually chilly, sterile spaces. Decimo is the opposite. It is beautiful, decorated in shades of burgundy, ombré and green. Both the design and food are gorgeous, sexy and glamorous.
Decimo, 10th Floor, The Standard, 10 Argyle St, London WC1H 8EG
Website: https://www.decimo.london
Rating: ****
Yumtini 