This January, Decimo at The Standard in London presents the fifth edition of La Mesa, its collaborative dinner series celebrating global food cultures.

For this installment, Decimo welcomes Michelin-starred Mexico City restaurant group Masala y Maíz, led by chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, for a multi-day residency exploring migration, maize, culinary memory and the shared diasporic threads that connect Mexico City and London.

The collaboration grew out of a research-driven trip to Mexico, where the Decimo team spent time cooking, tasting and talking with Listman and Keval at Masala y Maíz, which is globally recognised for its genre-defying cuisine that blends the culinary lineages of India, East Africa and Mexico.

The La Mesa menu will express both teams’ culinary techniques and ingredient legacies, drawing from Mexico City’s vibrant markets, Listman’s work with native maize and traditional methods, and Keval’s diasporic influences from Kenya, Ethiopia, India and California.

“London is a city shaped by migration. We feel that every day at Decimo, especially for myself as someone who has migrated from Mexico City,” says Paola Arenas, Head Chef at Decimo. “What drew us to Masala y Maíz is the way Norma and Saqib trace their own histories through food — India, East Africa, Mexico — all carried through memory and ingredients. That story resonates deeply here. This collaboration is not just about cooking together; it’s about the migration routes that define both Mexico City and London.”