In Ringsend, Fondita Mestiza offers guests hot sauce and art

The six people who met in a first-floor apartment at Fitzwilliam Quay on Saturday morning were mostly strangers.

Some had spotted the invite on social media, others learnt by word of mouth, or had been gifted the brunch for Christmas.

Every week for almost a year, the couple behind Fondita Mestiza have invited guests around their dining table in Ringsend to sample a menu inspired by an artist that they love: like Maldito Perrito, Mariano Girola Alcón and César Ríos.

The idea, they say, is a community that exhibits art in a small flat, serving Mexican-Irish brunches, now converted into dinners on the weekends – hot sauce and art.

“This month’s menu is based on the exhibition ‘Corn and Sea’ from an artist called Vala Larus,” says Erick Gustavo Carrillo Ortiz, as he finishes filling everybody’s glasses with water.

Andrea Flores Gutierrez announces the first course: tuna tostada. Fresh tuna loin marinated in lemon and garlic on a base of chipotle mayo, and topped with crispy organic Irish seaweed and avocado.

Larus’ favourite dish is tuna, says Flores. And, “at the same time her artwork reminded me of the sea”, she says, “that’s why I went for a tuna tostada and to integrate Irish produce, the seaweed”.

Guests dig in. A crunch symphony begins.

Another space

“Fondita” springs from “fonda” – traditional Mexican family-friendly spots, unpretentious and simple, with affordable weekday meals and usually at least three courses.

In a fonda, the food is always homemade, says Flores. “And they are very democratic places as people from a variety of backgrounds gather there.”

The azure tablecloth, plastic plates and glasses and the jug of lemon, mint and chia water are all markers of the fonda experience.

“Mestiza” captures how the project also reflects upon culture and art.

In the living room near the dining table is a wall dedicated to this month’s exhibition, with three square canvases.

The oil-on-wood artworks, “Whelk”, “Palm”, and “Sleeping Bird” – with delicate lines and pastel colours – are today’s conversation starters.

“Food is our mediator,” says Carillo. “We translate the culture, the food, and the art to all our guests.”

The intention hasn’t been to create “authentic” Mexican food, says Flores. “Because when you emigrate from the moment you leave your homeland it doesn’t matter how much you try, it won’t be authentic for a number of reasons.”

“What is authenticity?” she asks, the question hanging. For a start, Mexico is so diverse.

Carrillo nods. We’re a hybrid, he says, “mestizo”. That’s what those of mixed heritage were called under the Spanish Empire.

In the living room, a Brigid’s cross hangs on the wall in front of a shrine for Virgin Mary. A Mr Tayto piñata guards a table with bottles of mezcal.

They’re not a restaurant either, he says, or a gallery. “We are something else. We don’t fit in a particular category and we are in constant transformation.”

It’s a whole new space, says Mary Martin, who was among the Saturday crowd with her dad. “Not a restaurant, not a gallery, yet each one depends so much on the other.”

She has been a few times, she says, and calls Fondita Mestiza a sacred experience. “It feels very intimate, familiar, and very warm. The marriage of Irish and Mexican experience through food.”

Flores says they want to welcome more Irish customers. “We want to say: ‘This is what we have — come and try it!'”

On the menu

Carrillo defines himself as the KP. But, later, he also lists off PR, social media, cultural management and customer service.

Flores is more an experimentalist, she says. “I think all cooks are artists and I am not an expert in either of them.”

But she is creative. “Erick brings me an artist and the artwork and then asks ‘What are we going to cook?’” she says.

It takes a few weeks to plan each menu, she says. “It’s a search, I look for recipes and figure out how I’m going to reinterpret, transform or adapt it.”

Carrillo says they are working with emerging artists. They only proviso is that they live in Ireland, he says.

Saturday’s main dish is tetelas.

Triangular blue-corn tortillas stuffed with shiitake and wild mushrooms. They’re served on Oaxacan mole and a bed of arugula, and dabbed with sour cream and feta cheese.

They’d use fresh cheese for tetelas in Mexico, says Carillo. “But here we use feta cheese, as it resembles it the most.”

Mole is a bit love-hate, says Flores. Some people are into it, others not.

“It is such a complex sauce that the first time you try it, it’s very likely that you won’t like it,” says Flores, later. “But maybe the second or third time you try it, you might change your mind.”

Dessert is a velvety tart, decorated with raspberries and pansies. It is made from double cream and mild, yoghurty Icelandic skyr.

Larus, this month’s artist, is from Iceland. “To me, her artwork reminds me of the sea, flowers, and a pink palette, so I tried to convey those elements in the tart,” Flores said.

A family

Carillo and Flores grew up in Mexico City. They were both working as sales assistants here in Ireland, but felt something was missing, says Flores.

“Creativity is sometimes born out of necessity,” says Carillo. “For us was the need to feel that we were doing something for ourselves.”

Flores had also been grieving about emigrating, she says, feeling the pain of being away from family.

Fondita Mestiza was a way to work that out. A path to more resilience, through art and cooking. They’re growing it, too.

As well as hosting brunch, the pair have held several pop-up food collaborations, and just signed for a new space in Dublin 2 where they plan to hold seminars, classes, and other activities.

After the meal on Saturday, Martin says she’s looking forward to coming back again. “I want to hear more stories about their next menu.”