No.46 – Biko

Fine dining is a comparatively recent arrival on the Mexican scene, and Biko’s brand of avant-garde cooking is currently hotter than an especially-fiery habanero chilli. Conceived in 2007 by Bruno Oteiza and Mikel Alonso, both alumni of the nearby Tezka restaurant run in consultation with Basque-legend Juan Mari Arzak, Biko is a brooding, post-modern hunk of metal rising out of a well-to-do suburb of Mexico City.

The inside is strictly light or dark – all the colour is left to the dishes. As you would expect from two ex-Arzak chefs, the food is creative, Basque and made using up to the minute techniques. Two menus are offered, creative and traditional dishes; Foie 100% Cotton Candy (foie gras mixed with yoghurt, wrapped in lettuce and topped by a small cloud of cotton candy and sherry vinegar) is creative, while a rib-eye steak served with baby corn and pig’s ears is traditional. Open well into the night, this is an achingly hip place where Mexico City high-rollers go to be seen.