A Nottingham chef who took the unusual step of going from fine dining to street food has found success in a 'hidden gem' pop-up restaurant in the city centre. Tacolypto, which boasts an innovative array of Mexican food, can be found at Bodega Bar in Cobden Chambers, off Pelham Street.
The pop-up is the creation of the owner, chef Terry Hayfield, who has an experienced background in fine dining. When Covid struck and he was made redundant from his head chef role, he took the opportunity to take the plunge into street food.
While Terry recognised the popularity of good Mexican food, he felt there was nowhere in Nottingham to get a tasty taco or three. He is joined by sous chef, Constance Aubert.
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"I had been head chef at a gastropub in Ruddington before the first signs of Covid started. I had reached the position of head chef within fine dining before the carpet was literally pulled out from under my feet. My passion and commitment to the industry was strong so I didn't want to lose momentum," he explained.
"I had cooked French, Italian, modern British and taught bits of Thai, Indian, Vietnamese and Japanese, but no one had ever mentioned Mexican. It suddenly dawned on me that it hadn't really arrived in the UK yet. So I went up and down the country before lockdown trying the top taco bars in each city."
Terry was excited to see what creative spin he could put on Mexican classics while still delivering an authentic experience. He was committed to keeping the food grounded in tradition yet adding a surprise twist of unfamiliar dishes to the menu.
"We wanted to deliver authentic Mexican cuisine which is more than just tacos or Quesadillas. We do those but we gain people's confidence through giving them items they are less familiar with and sneaking complicated, authentic and unfamiliar dishes in there. We want to demonstrate what Mexican food is and we are still here nearly three years on popping out tacos."
The business started as a pop-up at Bodega in the outdoor seating area which was perfect for the days of outdoor dining due to Covid restrictions. They then teamed up with The Church of 400 Rabbits to launch a taco and tequila delivery option before moving back into Bodega for every first and last weekend of the month. They share the space with Canadian poutine company, The Squeaky Beaver and Prad Thai.
For Terry, who was used to fine dining, street food presented many opportunities for a more laid-back experience but also, created a few learning curves as he got used to the new style.
"The biggest hurdle to get my head around was that as a head chef, you have an owner above you to act as a mentor or consult. Not having a mentor means it's difficult to know when you got it right. You have to find that confidence in yourself when it comes to decision making regarding the brand, the menu or venue," he admitted.
"The business has grown and my confidence too. I miss my mentor but I look forward to becoming one and bringing people in to teach them classic Mexican food. People are feeling more confident with Mexican food as they learn more about it. I want to implement it in a way that British people can understand and feel inspired to try a new dish now and again."
The menu does feature classic Mexican dishes which have made their way into British diets over the years such as nachos, churros and, of course, tacos. However, there are surprising twists in that a lot of the dishes are gluten-free, dairy-free, or can be made vegetarian or vegan.
Terry explains that the pork carnitas that they do are incredibly popular along with the tacos. "We cook it the old school way in lard. We have authentic spices which we ship from Mexico and we smoke it on the barbecue, too. We have that slow-cooked, tender, fatty flavour from cooking it as you would find in Mexico but we've elevated it by doing it on hickory and mesquite wood," he said.
When it comes to the next steps, the fans have spoken and are keen to see Terry develop bigger premises.
"The people of Nottingham have convinced me that we are cooking some of the best Mexican food in the country. They are putting friendly but firm pressure on us to open a restaurant so we can show them how it's done. Our commitment is to giving ourselves a bigger platform to demonstrate what we've learned over the past few years."
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