Chiquito, Unit 6A, Walkergate, Durham (From Durham Times)

Chiquito, Unit 6A, Walkergate, Durham

2:05pm Friday 11th December 2009

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Spicing up the Christmas spirit.

OUTSIDE it was a cold and windy winter’s day in Durham but inside, with the heating cranked up, and Latin American tunes busting from the speakers, it was hard not to think of summer.

Hot Hot Hot was the message from the speakers so a thirstquenching Corona, complete with the wedge of lime, and an Appletiser were ordered as we began to enter more of a party spirit.

The walls are bedecked with pictures of Mexican faces, South American hats and terracotta pots adorn shelves within the walls.

However, the jaunty opening bars of Stop the Cavalry brought us back to reality with a bump and we remembered we were in cold damp Britain in the run-up to Christmas.

Despite the chill, we were given a warm welcome by our waitress, who looked like she was from Coxhoe rather than Cancun.

She gave us a complimentary bowl of tortilla crisps with some refried beans to nibble on while we decided on what to order from the extensive Tex-Mex menu.

To begin with, I went for the tequila sauce-covered ribs (£5.45) while my guest opted for a side order of patatas bravas (£3.50) as his starter.

I found my ribs, served with a pot of thick dipping sauce, tasty enough but there was very little meat on the bones, leaving me wanting more.

The patatas bravas have been described by my dining companion, Mark, as “roast potatoes with a citrusy juice”.

He said: “They were very nice, but not quite what I imagined they would be like and not the type of patatas bravas I had had in Spain.”

I am a big fan of Mexican food and have been since my student days when knowing your around a supermarket fajita dinner kit meant you were a gourmet chef because some chopping and stirring is involved.

These days my culinary skills are slightly more sophisticated, but I still have a soft spot for the good old taco and am quite particular about them.

They need crispy shells, a good amount of spicy meat, no sauce, cheese, soured cream and salad, usually comprising of lettuce, tomato and cucumber.

I decided to test the chef’s mettle and ordered the tacos (£10.95) while Mark opted for the chilli con carne (£8.95).

The tacos arrived in various pots, allowing you to make your own and get your hands messy, which is a good start, as otherwise they just go too soggy. It was a little disappointing to have such a small pot of meat, which looked suspiciously like chilli con carne, and was filled with kidney beans.

Horrifyingly, there was a also a pot of, admittedly quite fragrant, tasty rice, to be mixed with the ingredients. I don’t care how you do it in Guadalajara, kidney beans and rice have no place in tacos. Not on my watch.

They could have done with a bit more cheese, and although there was plenty of salad, it might have been better to supply the sour cream separately to avoid making a mess.

The chilli con carne, which arrived surrounded by a fan of tortilla crisps, was described as “ tasty, perhaps a little on the heavy side, but the chilli was not too overpowering”.

Both feeling quite full, we had a short break before agreeing to soldier on with dessert.

I went for the banana taquito (£4.45) which came fried and wrapped in a cinnamon tortilla, served warm with toffee sauce and chocolate ice cream. I found it rich and indulgent but very enjoyable.

Mark decided to try churros (£3.95) – strips of soft dough fried until crispy, dusted in sugar and cinnamon, with warm chocolate fudge sauce for dipping. He said they were tasty and very, very filling.

The service was superb from a friendly waitress and the final bill came to a pocketfriendly £36.90, which left us both feeling full and satisfied with our meals.

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