Review: Tacuba – Delivery (11.12.2010)

By DuBose.Cole | Published: January 9, 2011

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Delivery Mexican food has long been a dream of mine. Living outside the range of some possible options in West & more Southern London has left me with a decided lack of choices when it comes to bringing Burritos home. That being said, you can imagine my surprise when a ‘Mexican’ food category popped up on Justeat.co.uk for SW4. Tacuba somehow managed to open and start delivering without creating a blip on the metaphorical radar, per se, but after noticing it, I had to try it that night.

Giving Tacuba special consideration for its delivery options, I can honestly say that I’m pleased (but a slight bit apathetic) about it. Tacuba’s menu offers Burritos, tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, nacho dishes and sides such as beans, nachos and rice. While the experience of eating in store is supposedly livelier (given its position as Qype’s no. 2 music venue in Balham — a vaunted position), ordering online for delivery was slightly confusing. While this isn’t the fault of Tacuba directly, given that its through Justeat.co.uk, I still found topping burritos with different ingredients or specifying certain parts a bit unclear. I have yet to try telephone ordering for delivery, but I imagine that should come soon.

For my meal, I ordered the Steak Burrito, Nachos Con Chorizo and Guacamole (putting me directly above the £10 minimum for delivery). Price wise, I don’t mind the amount as much as I thought I would, given that a burrito in store costs about £7 pounds currently and an appetizer and drink would place the bill closer to the cost of Tacuba. Delivery itself was relatively speedy, with the food arriving at my door in about 40 minutes time. It is worth noting though, that you shouldn’t consider delivery a given on some evenings, as I’ve attempted to order a few times and found that the driver was already sent home for the night. Make sure to order before 9 or so to avoid disappointment.

Upon arrival, the food itself was warm and well wrapped. The Burrito was good, ranging somewhere around the average I’ve had in London, with a good flavor and well cooked filling. If I had ordered this alone, Tacuba would have garnered a 4 instead of its current 3 for food, however, I found the nachos to be a bit disappointing. £6.20 for the Nachos Con Chorizo got me a box of average nachos, combined with a haphazard mix of sour cream and slightly hard bits of Chorizo. As an appetizer at £3, I would have found this passable, but as an entree, it fails pretty badly. The guacamole on the side wasn’t bad and redeemed a bit of the nacho experience, though I wish I had the option to request this within my burrito when ordering. Nachos and ordering aside, I found the meal pretty good, though I’m sure a bit of this was enhanced by the convenience of home delivery.

Service and price wise, the combination of a decent price for home ordering bodes well for Tacuba, giving it a 3 for both categories respectively. If repeat attempts to order hadn’t been struck by a lack of a driver, I could have easily seen the establishment rank a small bit higher. However, overall, I give Tacuba a 3 out of 5 and say that if you’re around SW4 and fancy a burrito at your door, give it a shot, though I’d steer clear of the nachos.

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Review: Benito’s Hat – New Row (9.11.2010)

By DuBose.Cole | Published: November 19, 2010

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So I realize that my variety of venues and updates seems to be a bit rubbish at the moment, but I have a variety of reviews I’m going to post to catch up on some regular entries.

After last month’s trip to Benito’s Hat, I noticed that they now offer (after 5pm) Fish tacos. Liking a bit of variety, I decided to pop down and give it a shot, which I have to say, didn’t leave me disappointed. The fish itself, seems to be Tilapia, but given its deep friend nature, it comes off rather crispy and flavorful. The tacos are garnished with a bit of lime, a nice sauce and some crispy lettuce.

While I’ve found myself avoiding fish in Mexican food before, I must say that in this instance, I will definitely go back and try them again. Comparing the great food quality against price and service, I found that the overall experience delivered very well.

A side of nachos & 2 tacos came to around £6.70, which while delicious, would have been a bit more palatable with 3 tacos. This aside, the good value and nice service provided a great experience and yet another reason to go to Benito’s Hat, I give it a 4/5.

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Review: Benito’s Hat – New Row (6.10.2010)

By DuBose.Cole | Published: October 10, 2010

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While I’ve reviewed Benito’s Hat’s New Row location before, I’ve usually stuck to take away burritos and not the sit down experience. Aiming for a bit of variety, I set out earlier this week to have some tacos, nachos and a Corona, creating the most civilized Wed. evening possible. After meeting up with a friend and heading towards Benito’s, I initially noticed that they are now offering Baja fish tacos, a combination I’ll certainly have to try next time. Unfazed by this, I stuck with my original order of 2 steak tacos (covered with med. salsa, pico de gallo & cheese), an order of nachos & hot salsa and a beer. What struck me most about Benito’s hat before is the service provided. They manage to get a large amount of people in and out during lunch/dinner, all the while being very polite with those that don’t know what to order (my rather verbose friend being case in point). While this hasn’t changed at all, what struck me during this trip was the amount of space they’ve managed to generate in a small location. We were able to get a table quickly during what would pass as the vaunted Wed. night dinner rush and didn’t feel very cramped at all.

The food itself was on the level I’ve come to expect from Benito’s Hat, with steak being fresh and the toppings a crisp juxtaposition. I usually prefer burritos, as they tend to be a more filling meal, but these smaller portions really hit the spot. The bowl of nachos on the side is an addition to any meal I can heartily recommend, as they tend to be some of the best in town. You get a small portion with your meal, but the full side really does it justice. I can say that altogether, I quite enjoyed the meal and wished I had purchased the 3 taco option, which would have provided that extra bit of marginal taco utility. Price wise, the meal came to around £7.50, but given the experience, I thought this was fair. While I already liked Benito’s Hat for its burrito takeaway, I can fully recommend its dine-in experience as well and give it a give it a 4/5.

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Review: Mas Burrito – St. Martin’s Lane: (16.09.2010)

By DuBose.Cole | Published: September 19, 2010

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So given that it was Mexican Independence day last Thursday, I thought it would be useful to pop up the road from work and try something new from Mas Burrito on St. Martin’s Lane. Mas Burrito seems to be constantly growing their menu and the new offering of Chili con carne, rice & hard shell tacos didn’t disappoint in the least. It seems a bit confusing to ask for these (as they aren’t on the printed menu inside), but noticing chili con carne and hard shell tacos behind the counter is more than enough indication that something different is up.

Hard shell tacos are hard to come by anywhere in London and though I’ve had them at Mas Burrito before, this is the first time I have had the packaged offering of rice, chili con carne and the shells within a box. The addition of rice over the normal chili tacos means that the meal comes together in a way that it didn’t before. I had pico de galo and cheese put on the side, so upon assembling three tacos, it became two meals in one.The meal itself was great, with the a distinct bean taste in the chili con carne contrasted by fresh cheese and a crisp tortilla shell.

Service and price were good as always, with the meal costing around £6 and the staff being quick and polite. The only downsides were the lack of a clear sign on the menu for the item and the fact that it didn’t seem as filling as some of the burritos of comparable price.  These aside, I can easily recommend stopping by Mas Burrito to try a unique menu item and give the experience a strong overall 4/5.

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