Tex-Mex – Food, Fashion and Fitness

I’ve had a slight Taco Bell obsession since I watched Demolition Man as a kid and found out that every restaurant in America would soon be a branch of Taco Bell (franchise wars winners, natch!)…

Thankfully we no longer have to wait until 2032 to eat Taco Bell, because a restaurant just opened here in sunny Southampton – launching 23 November 2016! My husband and I were invited along to the launch this evening, and I’ve rushed home to write up my report about it, because I was pretty blown away!

The restaurant has a great central location, just opposite the Bargate – around the corner from where the old McDonald’s used to be, if you can remember back that far. It also boasts charging stations and free wifi, which I’m sure means it’ll be a hit with any cruise crew and travellers stopping by at the port – or people like me, who are usually running out of data and have plenty to do online…

The menu is on par with other fast food places in as far as choice and price goes – you can get most of the dishes under or just over a fiver. However, I don’t think we have many other Tex-Mex fast food places in the centre of town – the nearest is probably Mexigo on London Road, which is a fair walk if you have a sudden craving for a burrito…

There was a great atmosphere at the launch, and the drinks and food were getting everyone in a mood for a proper Mexican-style fiesta! It was interesting to learn that this branch is the only one south of London – I’m sure it won’t be for long. I have no idea why it’s taken so long for Taco Bell to get a foothold in the UK, because even with a handful of branches, it still has pretty good brand name recognisability here. If there’s one thing every Brit is prepared to concede about America, it’s that they do fast food reaaaaally well.

Speaking of which, I got to try a few of the dishes on offer, including the beef tacos, chicken burritos, and pulled pork quesadillas. They were all so delicious – I was expecting good things but I was surprised as just how tasty and addictive the food was. My absolute favourite was the pulled pork quesadillas – salty, juicy shredded pork inside a cheesy soft grilled tortilla; what a perfect combination! That’ll be my regular, please, Mr. Bell.

The burritos come with rice, too, making them a great, filling meal! And the tacos – crunchy, crispy, with great seasoning and a lovely blend of sour cream and cheese. Let’s face it, fast food doesn’t need to be fancy or difficult to be delicious and filling – Taco Bell is cheap and cheerful at its finest. And did I mention they serve beer too?!

I’m definitely going to make many more stops at Taco Bell – there’s nothing like it on the high street in Southampton right now, and the prices are half what you’d pay in Tex-Mex restaurants for the same food (dare I say, actually a little nicer here?!)

Taco Bell Southampton opens 23 November at 1/2 Hanover Buildings, Southampton, SO14 1JU. See the menu at www.tacobelluk.co.uk.

Live más!

Style note: T-shirt dress by ASOS, glasses by London Retro, jacket by Atmosphere, lipstick (The Queen) by Charlotte Tilbury.

Food and drink at the launch was on the house – my photos and opinions are my own.

Street food is the new slow food, which was the new organic, which was the new nouveau cuisine. Or, to put it simply, street food is the new buzz word – and like the rest of the foodie fads, it’s utterly delicious and utterly everywhere.

Chiquito, the UK chain of Mexican restaurants that have been with us since 1989, has caught onto the fad, with delicious results. The Street Food menu has a choice of 16 different items, and is priced at 3 for £12.95 or 6 for £23.95. I was invited to review the range by Chiquitos, so I gathered up a posse and rode into town.

There’s no denying this is a beautiful spread – each dish is colourful, bright and fresh, just as you would expect from a Mexican street food range. Served in trios on wooden boards, each dish is presented on a colourful terracotta plate.

Before we tucked in, though, we enjoyed a couple of Woo Woos, and a plate of nachos – along with the complimentary spicy popcorn…

I really liked the fact that the Street Food range covered all the bases, from your basic, standard offerings like chicken and sweetcorn empanadas, tacos, mini burritos (which were all fairly tasty, but not mind blowing), through to more adventurous items like the fiesta salad, the fried halloumi and the whipped feta and honey dip. In fact, these items were by far and away our favourites, and come highly recommended!

This creamy dip was savoury and sweet at the same time, and combined the salty, creamy feta with a dash of honey and some mint, creating an irresitable combination – and it’s easy to share, too! (Although, ours was missing the pomegranate seeds…)

The fiesta salad was equally delicious – a combination of cucumber, chilli, beetroot, pineapple, pomegranate, coriander and orange, it was spicy and refreshing (and we’ve got plans to replicate this at home for BBQs!). It was a great counterpoint to the rich, oily, meaty panfried chorizo, which is a simple yet always welcome addition to the menu.

Another excellent dish was the fried halloumi, which came with a cranberry sauce on the top – spongy, squeaky, salty cheese, with a crispy, crunchy exterior, and that sweet-sour sauce… A winning combination!

One dish that everyone picked as their favourite was the meatballs – it seemed like a no-brainer choice, but I’ve been to many tapas places where the meatballs were the worst thing on the menu. Here, they’re not an afterthought, and the rich and juicy beef patties are perfectly complimented by the piquant chilli tomato dressing.

I also have to give a shoutout to the beef chilli tortilla stack, which was really good, and the Mexican frittata, which was very salty but still delicious.

I asked my group to recommend a trio of plates each. Omar recommended the meatballs, feta whip and fiesta salad. Rachel suggested the meatballs, halloumi and beef chilli stack, and Michael went for the meatballs, the chicken tacos, and the sweet chorizo croquettes. My choice would be the meatballs, fried chorizo and fiesta salad.

All in all, we all really enjoyed the menu – and because the portion sizes aren’t large, we had enough room for a dessert too! In fact, that would be my only criticism of the menu as a whole – we ordered 15 plates between us, which came to just over three plates each, but you’d probably need four or five plates to feel full. Six plates would definitely be a good meal, and you wouldn’t need to order a starter to go along with it, thanks to the great variety of dishes on offer!

Find your local Chiquito at chiquito.co.uk, and book or view the menu online!

Disclaimer: I was offered a £60 voucher to review the menu, and all my opinions are my own.