Cucarachas

Mexican is a speciality is hard to come by unless you know where to go. Although most Mexican restaurants that you get in central London will be more of the tex-mex variety - a fusion of classical mexican dishes adapted to suit the British palette. They also seem to all be served in the traditional american style - consisting of large portions. You wouldn't actively seek out somewhere which translates as cockroaches but having recently had a fire and reopened I was worried that it had gone foerever as it has become a go-to place when I'm in need of a good margarita.


It's a really good filling cuisine when you are super hungry and although it has a reputation for being unhealthy if you go for cheesy, guacamole laden dishes but actually can be quite the opposite providing you with healthy satisfying meals with essential fatty acids and some of your five a day portions. Take peri-peri chargrilled chicken atop sizzling cajun vegtables, drenched in the peri-peri sauce, served with mexican rice and a 'cuban' bean salad. A treat for the senses listening to the hiss of the vegetables and breathing in the aroma of chilli mingling with herbs and spices in all its bright array of pretty colours - multi-cloured peppers and chillis, green coriander, yellow rice, brown beans.


A classic and hot faviourite is chilli beef - minced beef laden with onions, peppers and chillis perched on a mound of mexi rice, surrounded by triangles of tortilla chips - more authentiically known as totopos - not dissimilar to the little chilli bowl starter or the nachos with chilli beef where you also get the additional extra of guacamole and salsa as well as sour cream and manchego cheese. There are dozens of options to choose from for whatever you feel like from fajitas to chimichangas and quesadillas, from grills and mexi-burgers to salads and seafood.


The meal is perfected with well mixed cocktails and the offer of a variety of mexican beers - incuding the favourites sol and corona. Having tried a watermelom margarita I can't look back - it reminds me of my year away in Spain when the local barmen would always make me strawberry margarita if I didn't know what to order. But I have to branch out and try some new ones - with blueberry, mango and pomegranate available. The traditional flavoured water is very thirst quenching if you don't want alcohol - you won't need to order two at the size of these!


www.cucarachas.co.uk 1 Battersea Rise, Battersea,London SW11 1HG
Tel: 020 7978 7900
email: info@cucarachas.co.uk

www.trisori.com