Stephanie Pliakas

24th March

"I really wish I could give Mestizo a five-star review. Our meal was filled with so many special touches the bill presented in a black wooden jewellery box; the festive "MEXICO" beach-type bag in which our takeaway container was placed; the complimentary shot glasses filled with a mixture of chocolate liqueur and cream that we were presented with before our departure yet they still didn't help to elevate the overall rating much above three stars.

Our after-dinner coffee experience can best illustrate our disappointment. We ordered two flavoured coffees (one with kahlua, and one with amaretto), which the menu billed as coming with cream. Our coffees arrived black and lukewarm. Um, where was the cream? (We were picturing a mound of frothy whipped cream, naughty but necessary.) We called over our sweet but slightly bewildered waiter (forgiven since he told us he was from Venezuela and had only been in the country for seven months) and asked for cream. We were brought a small pot of hot milk. So we motioned to another, older waiter (possibly a manager)who, again, was good-natured but didn't speak English well and repeated our request for cream. This time we were given a strange sour-tasting liquid cream (not soured cream, like you'd use to garnish a plate a nachos, but literally SOUR cream). Who knew cream was so hard to come by? Very perplexing, to say the least.

The rest of the food arrived as described on the menu (except for our bottle of still water, which was only brought over after a second request), but there wasn't much to write home about. The oversalted tortilla chips and smooth, blood-red salsa (with a hint of chipotle) were pleasant enough, especially paired with the humungous margaritas, served the classic way (no frozen, beach-bar concoctions for us). We ordered a bowl of guacamole (?5.50) to accompany the chips, which was our first big setback of the evening. It was a dull, greyish-green colour?a bit past its sell-by date, to be honest, and lacking the fresh, vibrant, spicy kick that all worthy guacamole needs. My friend had a Caesar salad (£4.50), which was originally invented by a chef named Caesar in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1924, by the way, and not in Italy as you may have suspected. The shredded iceberg (why not romaine?) lettuce was floating in a pool of watery dressing that was so overloaded with Parmesan cheese that it was cloying. I had the mixed antojitos (starters) platter (£4.80), which, besides the cachapita (a Venezuelan pancake filled with gooey mozzarella cheese and bursting with a sweet corn flavour), was insipid and left me with a ?so what?? feeling. The jaladas (jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese) reminded me of something similar I'd once had at a TGI Friday's (no offence to Friday's).

Our main courses were better. My mole poblano (£9.50), chicken breast in a rich, dark sauce made out of chocolate and chilli, among other ingredients, was very good the dish had a slightly bitter, coffee-like aftertaste that lingered for a while afterwards. But I actually preferred the accompanying refried beans I would've been in heaven with just a big bowlful and a spoon. Our other main course crepes filled with mushrooms, onions and corn (?8.50), with an odd hint of nutmeg was heavy and overwhelming cheesy?more than enough for even two people to share. (No matter our complaints about the quality of the food, Mestizo?s portion sizes constitute good value for money.)

Despite Mestizos weak points, I still have a soft spot for it (maybe because I like Mexican food so much), so I'll end the review on a high note: the decor. The restaurant?s high ceilings, deep red walls, stunning backlit bar and earthy touches (like the funky wooden place mats) lend it an air of laid-back sophistication. And there are two striking features that I can't forget to mention: an eye-catching stained glass Aztec wall decoration and a flat, dark wooden tree on another wall in the back that was being used as a candleholder. Mestizo is definitely like the little engine that could, it has so much potential but just needs a little push to get it back on track."