A traditional Mexican restaurant with a modern twist. Chiquito at Valley Centertainment offered a quiet reserve to sit and spend the afternoon. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone with the time to head off on a tram and perhaps make a night of it on the Centertainment complex. It is definitely worth it
As a couple heading out for the afternoon, chilling out in Chiquito was easy, the staff were really sociable and quickly took our orders down without intruding on our conversation. We decided to splash out on a meal here as it was reading week, so bare in mind that on top of the tram fare you will need a good £30.00 to spare on a decent meal for 2. We ourselves had been advised to try a starter by another satisfied customer so we ordered the ‘tear and share’ garlic bread with cheese which was so delicious it set our tummies rumbling for more. Luckily, our mains arrived promptly, my boyfriend tried the BBQ chicken at £10.45, we originally thought this sounded a little overpriced but the meal was so big he couldn’t finish it! He did describe the plate as unoriginal however, it really was just chicken with BBQ sauce as the title implies, but the BBQ sauce was a little too over-powering. I tried the tacos with vegetable chilli (£8.95) which had to be bought out on a plate almost the size of our table. Both meals were fantastic sizes and overall both tasted superb, on keep warm surfaces you were able to take a breather from all the food without it going cold, and I especially liked my meal as the chilli, rice and 3 dipping sauces all came separate from the tacos so you could mix your own fillings.
Lastly, despite feeling really full, we sat and chatted for half and hour or so before ordering some deserts. After seeing someone else with fried ice cream, we couldn’t resist trying some of the delicious yet strange sounding puddings. The Mexican edge given to them, like the addition of cinnamon made them sound absolutely mouth-watering, so my boyfriend opted for the Waffle Crunch with toffee pieces and I for the Chocolate Fudge and Brownie Sundae. Again our portions were rather large but perhaps what you would expect for your money at £3.95, rather a pricey pudding! The Waffle Crunch looked yummy but could have been made so simply for probably less than a pound at home, which was a little disappointing, whilst the sundae looked and tasted rather impressive. The glass just seemed endless! The bill ended up totaling £32.00 which isn’t too bad for a one off, although we didn’t drink any wine and had shared a starter! This price was literally only for our food as we drank a jug of water, however we ate at around 2 o clock in the afternoon on a Tuesday and definitely couldn’t have faced eating again that day. Ultimately, we had a huge banquet of scrumptious food for around £15 each, the atmosphere was cosy and with quirky décor quite interesting. And although we visited after the lunch rush when you’d expect staff to wait your table more efficiently, we felt the need to tip a couple of pounds still as they were just so welcoming and helpful, even if you’re a beginner when it comes to Mexican food and have to ask ‘what’s a burrito?’ like me!
By Lisa Etherington
