When
London-based Bestie,'HL' decided to endorse her birthday celebrations
with a jaunt to the West Country, it was up to me to determine an
appropriate venue for fourteen of its coveted inhabitants to assemble
for dinner and drinks. For me, nothing says party time like a little
spice and the odd tequila slammer so where better than Bristol's
much-loved Mexican, Casa Mexicana. A intimately-arranged eatery with
oodles of character...
Date
and Time: Sunday 3rd March 2013, 7:30pm
Name
of Establishment: Casa Mexicana*
Location:
31 Zetland Road, Bristol
Reason
for Visit: Sharing the city's
favourite Mexican with my favourite Bristolians...!
In
short, Casa Mexicana is an absolute joy – vibrant yet cosy and
traditional yet tactfully quirky; the latter seemingly fitting given
that it's a stone’s throw away from the eclectic buzz of the
Gloucester Road strip. Diners are greeted warmly, the friendly
ambiance enhanced with soft candlelight, an upbeat soundtrack and a
theme which has been subtly integrated into the overall character of
the space rather than over-done in a stereotypically sombrero-clad
cheese-fest. It's fair to say that I’m certainly not alone in my
praise for this eatery given that the National
Press have been quick to celebrate Casa's success; the Guardian
placing it within the top five Mexican restaurants in the country and
The Independent deeming it worthy to feature not once but twice as
the ‘best Mexican Restaurant’ in the Sunday Times' supplement –
all this within a 27-year-long innings; a time in which it has
secured a keen following of devoted regulars and their keen
convertees.
Back
to the evening at hand and despite the fact that we constituted a
rather sizeable gathering, it was duly noted that the service was not
to its detriment which can often be the case elsewhere. Quite the
contrary in fact as chatty, efficient service ensued, setting the bar
for the duration of the evening whereby nothing appeared too much
trouble and a reassuring sense of pride lent itself to both the
menu's content and the dishes that transpired, (which, incidentally,
were piping hot and delivered in a timely fashion). On this occasion,
no one opted for starters, which was met with a touch of relief in
the face of the main event given that dishes had been liberally
plated to say the least; my beast of a Chimichanga (£12.95) had been
munificently stuffed with smoky-tasting chicken, peppers and cheese,
deep fried in a large flour tortilla and topped with freshly-made
salsa and cool sour cream. This could have so easily been a car crash
of varying tastes and textures, not to mention a visual monstrosity,
but had been neatly packaged; its three amigos of seasoned rice,
refined beans and rocket salad proving suitably portioned as tasty
accompaniments. Others were equally complimentary; the Puchero
de Cordero (£13.95) – slowly braised
lamb shank with chorizo and pasilla chilli – especially
well-received with top marks for its ample-execution and
melt-in-the-mouth disposition.
 |
| Chimichanga - be honest, it's even fun to say! |
The
hard-core amongst us managed dessert, most opting to share and wisely
so given that the food babies had, by this stage, exceeded foetal
status! I settled upon The Tarta de Chocolate
(£4.95) as my weapon of choice which was positively death by
chocolate (though let's be fair, what a way to go!) If truth be told
this was a touch too heavy to follow abundant plates of Mexican
tucker – though the viscous mound of Chocolate and Vanilla Brownie
Cheesecake, that had been lovingly drizzled with Coffee Bean Sauce
and coupled with a dollop of good-quality vanilla
ice cream – was deliciously decadent to say the least! The
Montezuma Mess (also £4.95) was an arguably safer option; comprising
a light ensemble of crushed meringue, fresh passion-fruit, mascarpone
cream, orange and lime glaze – its recipients describing it as
‘refreshing’ and a ‘welcome palate cleanser’.
To
wash it all down, it was unanimously decided that a cocktail or two
were in order and as Casa have an abundant selection, it would have
been difficult to resist especially as The Green Iguana combined my
favourite tipples; José
Cuervo, Midori, Cointreau and sours which had been muddled on the
rocks with addictively pungent appeal. Another favourite was the Casa
Rinha; a twist on the classic Caipirinha,
containing Brazilian cane rum, lime, sugar syrup and lemonade. A
healthy selection of wines, bottled beers and spirits complete the
bill and most importantly, four different tequilas – from which the
birthday girl chose to indulge in a shot of José Cuervo Gold (or
'ora' for those in the know) which is served with cinnamon dust and a
slice of orange as opposed to the usual salt and lemon chaser –
TEQUILAAAAAA!
 |
| The Green Iguana - hic! |
In
the danger of submitting an imbalanced review, there is very little
to grumble about when it comes to an evening at Casa Mexicana; its
menu focuses on traditional South American cuisine which is fairly
priced, generously portioned and served with a smile. The space
itself is humble and comfortable, though tastefully arranged with a
respectable buzz which intensifies as the evening progresses and the
tequila flows. Hence, this is an eatery in which the cuisine speaks
for itself, it’s neither showy nor gimmicky...simply, good honest
food which, just as their website suggests, really is the real
enchilada!
And
now for the second opinion…
‘HL’
gave Casa Mexicana a rating of 8/10 and in three words described it
as, 'yummy yet heavy'.
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