A Taste of South America - Las Iguanas

Las Iguanas, situated at the heart of the Riverside Leisure Park was the perusal this evening. A Bar & Tapas restaurant specialising in South American cuisine – Brazilian, Peruvian, Argentinian and Mexican.

Décor/Atmosphere

Going in the evening, the restaurant looked nice with all its lights on. The venue is also a bar therefore people who want to only have a drink after work/before a night out are about. However the restaurant is quite big therefore worrying too much about that isn’t an issue – merely just adds a lively Brazilian factor if anything.

Décor Verdict 8/10

Service

Prior to my visit I already knew that the Chicken and Lamb is halal. I confirmed this with the waitress who also confirmed with their manager. When you arrive, they offer you several menus (dinner, lunch, vegan) which can be a bit confusing – to overcome it I just said yes to them all.

Service Verdict 8/10

Food

We wanted to try a variety of dishes from each of the countries on offer.

Sweet potato, butternut squash & chickpea chilli Burrito or Chicken Burrito

These are tortilla stuffed with stuffed with rice, beans and sauces, and your chosen filling. The chicken burrito was not very good. I felt it was a bit dry and chewy. The vegetarian burrito was good. It had a nice soft texture when you bite into it.

Blazing Bird.

Think Nandos chicken but flavoured with Honey Peri Peri (They had 2 other flavours Spicy bbq jerk and Vivo; flaming hot habanero). This comes served with slaw and we upgraded to sweet potato fries. The chicken had a sweet yet mild kick to it. Maybe I shouldn’t compare but Nandos is better.

Albondigas

Lamb meatballs with apple, mint, and parmesan served with ciabatta. We upgraded the ciabatta to the rice and we are so glad we did that. This dish stole the show. The meatballs were perfect and the sauce had a great taste. It worked perfectly with the onion rice.

Moqueca De Peixe

Prawns, fish and peppers cooked in a coconut and lime sauce served with rice. The saucy is creamy and was full of flavour.

Food Verdict 6.5/10

Price

They had several menus, and offers so whenever you go look out for them. Even in the evening time, you can spend about £10-15 which is good value. They have 241 mocktail offers majority of the day.

Price Verdict 9/10

Conclusion

I think overall the experience was mixed. The service was good as expected, and the atmosphere was buoyant. However this may deter some for being too lively. The food was hit and miss. I would return for the Albondigas and the seafood dish but not so sure of any of the others.

Final Verdict 6.5/10