As soon as we walked in, a young waitress acknowledged our presence and was quick to get us sat down and ready to eat. She was very polite, seemed eager to please and was very patient with us when we just could not decide what to eat!
The complementary popcorn was great and we played our usual game of trying to solve what ingredients go into their ridiculously addictive popcorn seasoning. So far, we think we've worked out - chipotle powder, garlic powder, umm...
Next on our agenda was to find something to whet out appetites, Sam very quickly found something ideal - a jug of Long Island Ice Tea. Very good choice.
After IDing us for our cocktail, Sam just had to inform the waitress that we never get ID'd and that it must because I'd just shaved. Ha, ha, ha. (What a fool.)
Previously, I was a Long Island Ice Tea virgin, but now with opportunity, I reckon I could be a Long Island Ice Tea whore. It was really refreshing, which was exactly what I needed after my shift at work.
Sipping on cocktails obviously brings out Sam's inner eco-friendly, interior designer and he pointed the awesome up-cycled lampshades made from beer bottle tops. Although I was pleasantly surprised that he liked the lampshades as much as I do, I was slightly miffed that I had already pointed them out on a previous visit.
For our starter, we chose a sharing portion of nachos with chicken. As soon as I spotted that they were ready, I couldn't help but follow them with my eyes - from the counter, all the way to our table.
The nachos were of their usual crispy, crunchy, creamy loveliness. The guacamole always tastes fresh and is a pleasure to eat, and the smooth, gooey, melted cheese always has the power to make me weak at the knees. However there seemed to be a lack of chicken! (Unlike the TGI Friday version from one of their old menus that I remember being absolutely packed full of chicken, that was sold at the same price.) We found this slightly disappointing as the nachos are always of a good standard, and we thought we'd like to super-charge our starter, 'cus as we all know, chicken makes everything better.
On remembering that we were here to try the 'sizzling new menu', I tried something that I had never seen on the menu before and went for the mango cod with skin-on fries and a side of onions rings as my main. That being said, I only really study the lunch menu as I'm on student budget but I do take a little peek at the meals that I'd aspire to be able to pay for one day...
The portion felt very big but this could have been because I had 'eyes bigger than my belly' and ordered onion rings without fully reading the menu and seeing that the cod came with both fries and corn on the cob. It is always better to have too much to eat than too little so this didn't concern me very much. The bed of fajita vegetables and pink sauteed onions were attractive, and tasted nice with the lime and tequila. Chomping through the bumper portion of veg and chips, although good, did start to feel a bit tedious so the corn on the cob did come as a welcomed break in the meal.
The onion rings were nice and light, but slightly greasy - which to me is perfect, but others may disagree. I really enjoyed the chipotle mayonnaise that came with them, I felt it was perfectly spiced and again, just like the popcorn seasoning, almost addictive. The onion rings were more than enough for the 2 of us but I felt that they were slightly overpriced at £3.95.
What Sam said -
"Burger was beefy, a bit dry, would've liked it slightly rarer. Other than that, nice." Personally, after a bite of his burger (Texan Smoke Stack), I thought it was nice. I cannot stand pink meat, but I'm not a burger expert and I didn't get a full bite so I'll leave you with his brief review.
Chiquito, we love your nachos. Please, don't ever change them (unless you make the portions bigger and meatier... maybe with a pulled pork option). Your food is certainly filling, but not quite satisfying. Something just seems to be missing. Unfortunately, we could only review starters and mains, because we were both too full and too broke for desserts. Your staff are always very friendly and the young man who may (or may not, he was in a suit, so this is an educated guess) have your duty manager was exceptionally nice and chatty.
Chiquito's main meals may not always be appropriate for a student budget, but their portions will certainly suit a student appetite and the bar seems pretty student friendly to us!
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