Arepas & Falafel

I’m Andrea.

Born and raised in tropical Latin America, I have been living in the UK on and off since 1996.

Here, at Cantina Rosita, I try to recreate some of the distinctive flavours and dishes I grew up with.

When I was about 12, I heard that the caretaker’s wife at my secondary school was starting to sell home-made food directly from her kitchen door.

At 11:30am, between maths and biology, I sprinted to get into a long and desperate queue. Socorro cooked just one dish so the stakes were high. She didn’t have a menu; everybody knew she sold arepas, a delicacy made with corn bread and filled with multiple combinations or simply ham and cheese. Each hot arepa was sliced open, coated handsomely with butter and filled. Two or three napkins were used to wrap it all up.

Her arepas were succulent.

Fast forward a decade to working at a newspaper, where I was full-time journalist and part-time editor. Right by the office, a Lebanese family opened a hole in the wall to sell the most divine falafel. Served the traditional way, in a flatbread, with a tahini sauce, pickles and salad.

Years later, I discovered a world of flavours and differences when I tasted falafel from the tiniest kitchens in Cairo, Dubai, Syria and at the legendary Sahyoun, in Beirut.

Cantina Rosita follows that uncomplicated format. We offer a few delicious dishes, all prepared from the heart. I hope you love them as much as I do.