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This review was undertaken on
Wednesday 30th April 2008.
I will readily admit I am not
a massive lover of chain restaurants so I approached this review
with slightly less enthusiasm than might normally be the case.
On walking into Chiquito there was nobody to greet you at the
door. Not a great start but Im pleased to say though, that from
this point onwards, I found it difficult to say a bad word about
the place.
Décor
If ‘cosy’ dining is you, then you’ll love Chiquito. With their
large square booths, you are able to dine in a busy restaurant,
quite close to other customers, yet still feel like you’re
eating and talking with a degree of privacy. Dimly lit, with the
occasional spotlight, Chiquito will strike you almost immediately
as a cool place to eat out and somewhere to simply enjoy
yourself.
Atmosphere
Despite arriving early on a Wednesday evening with only a few
people already seated, there is still a buzz about the place,
with lots of smiley, happy people and the Latin American music
that plays constantly helps to put you in the mood to have some
fun.
Service
I mentioned above my reservations about restaurant chains. This
is mainly because many will employ school leavers who run around
like headless chickens, know little about the food they are
serving and have no concept of customer service.
Chiquito clearly treat their
staff well. Both the Manager Damien and our waitress Cindy have
been with the company for years. Both have an in-depth knowledge
not just of Chiquito and the food they serve, but also how to
treat their customers. Their passion for what they do shone
through and I was pleasantly surprised at their genuinely open
and friendly approach. Looking for good service? I'd be
disappointed if you, the reader, came away from Chiquito
disappointed.
Food
Before detailing some of the fantastic dishes we tried. If
reading this makes you visit Chiquito in the near future, make
sure you ask if Desperado is available. This is a fantastic
lager, very strong, but silky smooth with a hint of tequila.
Desperado and Mexican food are like a marriage made in heaven
but don’t drink too many too quickly. Desperado will not be on
the menu when you visit, simply because it’s not always in stock
so politely enquire to see if it is available. Trust me, it's
good!
My guest Martin and I opted
for a Combo Platter, Enough for 2 (£11.75) to start. Bacon and
cheese and fiesta potato skins, barbecue chicken wings, coconut
shrimp, chilli poppers, onion rings, fiesta nachos and corn on
the cob with sour cream and freshly made salsa.
Make sure you have a plate
handy because the chilli poppers do pop! They taste great too
and this was a thoroughly enjoyable start to our meal. I like
restaurants that keep things simple and there’s nothing worse
than ordering a platter, then trying to work out if that last
tasty onion ring might be yours or not. These platters are
served on a big white bowl with your food one side, and your
companion’s food on the other. Easy!
For main, I opted for the
Chilli Beef Enchiladas (£10.25) with Mexican Style Rice and Pico
de Gallo (salsa). This was a tasty dish but I would have
preferred more beef in my Enchiladas and I wasn’t totally taken
with the rice, which I felt was slightly bland.
Martin chose the Acapulco
Chicken Fajitas (£12.75) Marinated chicken in tomato salsa
topped with crushed tortilla chips and Monterey Jack gratin.
Fajitas are great fun but how many times have you taken a bite
to find all your ingredients have fallen out the other side back
onto your plate? Make sure you ask for a little tip on how to
wrap your Fajitas to perfection and avoid this happening. The
staff at Chiquito will be only too happy to help. Martin said
very little to me whilst eating this dish, neither did he offer
me any, nor leave anything for me to sample. Let’s just say he
enjoyed it!
At this point, readers of this
review were not very popular with me. I was not quite cursing
you but I was full, yet had no choice but to sample a dessert. I
tried the Brownie Fudge Sundae, a warm chocolate brownie with
chocolate and vanilla ice cream, covered in chocolate fudge
sauce and a whip of cream (£3.95). When it arrived, I was
definitely cursing….this dessert was huge, but I unashamedly
have to admit that somehow, I finished it! Yes, I do have a
sweet tooth and if you like chocolate, you’ll simply love this
treat. Martin ordered the New York Cheesecake, a deep rich
vanilla cheesecake on crunchy biscuit base served with summer
fruit berries and a whip of cream (£3.95) and again, he went
very quiet on me.
We both left pleasantly
surprised at Chiquito and acknowledged that we intended to
return.
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