Le Mesa brings an intimate dining experience to Durham

Shaun Hurrell, chef patron of established award-winning taqueria, Barrio Comida, located in the heart of Durham, has opened the doors of his latest restaurant offering - La Mesa.

La Mesa is an intimate and refined dining space, located beneath Barrio Comida, where up to 20 guests, seated at either the large central dining table or the chef’s counter can get up close and personal with the action going on in the open kitchen.

The multi-course tasting menu showcases dishes inspired by the variety, intricacies and innovation of Mexico’s vast culinary repertoire and distinctive heritage, whilst utilising the finest hyper seasonal British and European produce.

Each ingredient is carefully sourced from only the very best producers in their field, including day boat fish and shellfish from Cornwall, beef from North Yorkshire, vegetables and fruit from Durham and Northumberland.

All alongside highly specialised ingredients sourced with the utmost care direct from Mexico, such as the eleven varieties of heritage corn, which have been produced to exacting standards by small scale specialist farmers using symbiotic growing methods, which Shaun used to create fresh tacos and tortillas daily.

Chef Patron Shaun Hurrell said: ’‘We opened Barrio Comida in 2020, with the ambition to add other elements to the business as we progressed. The pandemic got in the way but we’re now fortunate to be in a position to be able to launch our interpretation of a fine dining restaurant with a twist.

“With the launch of La Mesa our guests can now discover a multi-course tasting menu showcasing dishes inspired by the variety, intricacies and innovation of Mexican cuisine. We’re looking forward to developing and refining what we do, and adding something very different to the northeast’s food offer.’’

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily