My Mexican Monday at Las Iguanas

A murky Monday after work/school was the timing of our visit to Las Iguanas.  A good time to eat Mexican food and a great time to visit by all accounts as, for the first half hour at least, we had the place to ourselves.  

I say Mexican but officially the restaurant is billed as South American, offering dishes from ‘Brazil and beyond’ as well as the classic fajitas and burritos. Louis and I started off by sharing a large bowl of nachos loaded with melted cheese, guacamole and sour cream; chillies and salsa came separately as my nine-year old dining companion isn’t so fond of the spicy bits.  The plateful was large – enough for two - and kept on the table for picking at throughout the meal.

Las Iguanas is a chain with outlets across the country so the Brighton USP was our lovely waiter Joe who gave us a warm welcome and knew his way around the menu, answering our questions knowledgeable and helpfully.  He highlighted the two for one drinks deal - in celebration of the restaurant’s 25th year – so I opted for a cocktail, non-alcoholic, to accompany my spicy fare and although not cheap at £3.30 for one, still competitively priced when compared to other eateries’’ beverage prices and positively a bargain for two!

Our main courses included cheese burger with curly fries for Louis and chicken fajitas for me.  A colourful combination of char-grilled chicken, peppers and onions were delivered on a hot skillet with a crisp salad and sauces on the side.  Had I planned ahead a bit better I probably shouldn’t have chosen the fajitas as although very tasty, another helping of the accompanying sour cream and guacamole was perhaps just a bit too much, even for me!  Other options - which I shall explore in future - are Sea bass fillet with spring onion and crab, creamy coconut plantain curry and on-the- bone char-grilled ribeye steak.

Pudding time is always a highlight for Louis and his choice of ice cream and chocolate brownie went down extremely well but what really knocked our socks off was the churros (cinnamon-sugar dusted Spanish-style donuts); omg I actually cleaned the bowl of dulce de leche (caramel sauce) with my finger!  Sorry, but it was just the most moreish combination of sweet unapologetic decadence I’ve experienced in a while.

So, my top tips for dining a Las Iguanas style:

Do, do Mexican on a moody Monday when it’s quieter, it’s a   lovely start to the week
Don’t double up on the dips
Do try the churros with con de Lecce – (I’m going back on my own for this one!)
Do go with friends or the whole family so you can take full advantage of the sharing plates and two for one cocktails!

Las Iguanas, Jubilee Street, Brighton
Foodies can look forward to tucking into a diverse menu inspired by authentic regional dishes from Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. Favourites include Sizzling Fajitas, Enchilada's and Moqueca (light coconut curry). Las Iguanas also serve light Latin lunches, imaginative menus for children and have a tasty tapas selection. www.iguanas.co.uk