Tex Mex Street Food to sample and a Tequila Cocktail with every course? #ChiquilaChiquito was an event we were not going to miss.
Taking a carefully curated menu of key Mexican street food dishes and serving up samples for us to try, it was clear to see the Chiquito’s team had done their homework on traditional cuisine. As the Manchester Printworks branch’s Bar Manager explained, research when visiting places to eat in actual Mexican Cities had proven the agenda was not to put your eggs in one basket and eat masses of one dish, rather, the idea was to fill up on smaller samples of variation, which was the inspiration behind our menu on the night.
On level with the food selection, each course featured a different Tequila based Cocktail, designed to act as accessory to the meals. As our host elaborated, one lucky soul has the gruelling task to travel Mexico and source the best Tequilas, which of course he had to try for size, where do we apply?
For anyone thinking of trying Chiquito’s Streetfood Delicacies for themselves, we rounded up small but sweet reviews of the dishes we were offered for your benefit.
Homemade Tortilla Chips with Dips
Light and easy to start with, the chips and dips had a slight kick of spiciness to keep the flavour interesting. Fun to share and fuss-free to eat, this dish was a simple crowd pleasing opener. The accompanying Tequila Cocktail was Le Patronic, which was the teams unified favourite of the night and so good we just had to get another (it’d be rude not to).
Halloumi Bites
Presented as the name suggested, the Halloumi Bites were breaded and drizzled in Cranberry Salsa to adhere to the Mexican theme. Delicious in taste, the bites were easy to snack on guilt free, the taste in the Halloumi alone made this side worth sampling. This courses complementary cocktail was the Patron Edge, which had stronger tones than its predecessor and incorporated classic Tequila drinking with salt dusted glasses and a side of lime.
S&S Taco
The S’s stand for Salmon and Siracha which in a nutshell are the main components of this course. Finished with a little salad and served in a Taco, this dish tastefully combined restaurant dining with Tex Mex simplicity. The Cocktail of choice with this round was a 1800 Classic Margarita, in which strong notes were detected, but cleverly counter-balanced and mixed as not to overwhelm, resulting in an enjoyable result strong enough to allow relaxation and frivolity.
Pulled Pork Croquette
This dish encompassed hot mouth-watering Pulled Pork, tucked up in a bed of Panko breadcrumbs and accompanied with Habanero BBQ Sauce and roasted Potato. Tasty and moreish, the Croquettes delivered on expectation and included a Tequila Con Sangrita drink. Slightly different to protocol, we dubbed these drinks the Traffic Light Challenge, as the idea was to down the tomato based shot, followed by a Tequila Shot and ending with a Mint based shot. Not the easiest of drinks to handle but we took the challenge on with enthusiasm and moved on to the next course.
Chimichurri Skirt Steak
This was a particularly anticipated dish for our team and featured Medium Rare Steak on a bed of roasted Peppers and Onions, complemented with homemade Chimichurri sauce. The only slight disappointment with this option was we expected the steak to be hot, not served as a cold platter but that may be due to our novice knowledge of Mexican cuisine as opposed to stylish choice. Drinks-wise with this one, we were treated to a Rosemary Smoked Tommie each, which was stronger in alcoholic flavour than most of our past drinks but was still refreshing to devour.
Churros
There was anticipated excitement amongst our table over this dish as soon as we spied the menu and it was safe to say the team were not disappointed. The Churros were light and minimal, focusing on the sweet taste, set up eloquently on a slate with suited Patron X & Incendio Cocktail. We were advised to dip our Churros in the drink to absorb some of the flavour and take the drink slowly. Whilst the Churros were easy to eat, the Cocktail proved more challenging. Whilst made with delicious chocolate tones, this one was simply too hot to handle for our unfamiliar palettes.
To view the full menu or book your visit go to Chiquitos online.
Have you sampled Chiquitos? Let us know in the comments below.
