~~Newspaper Review~~

Wiltshire Gazette and Herald March 2004

Restaurant - La Casita, Swindon

WALKING into La Casita was a refreshing change from the proliferation of Indian and Chinese restaurants which abound in Swindon. Specialising in all manner of Mexican dishes it was a place I had had on my restaurant wish list to visit for a while.

The decor is as authentic Mexican as you can get in downtown Swindon. The downstairs had always appeared a little cramped from outside but we were ushered upstairs which proved spacious, and was complete with a bar. Accompanied by vibrant walls of yellow, green and blue adorned with Mexican-style drawings, we soon began to feel far removed from the cold gloom of the February streets outside.

Although the music was more modern pop than mariachi, we decided to go fully Mexican and ordered two bottles of Sol lager, which arrived complete with lime in the bottleneck. We could, however, have chosen all manner of wines, margaritas, sangria and tequila or even home-made lemonade. It was handy to be able to peruse the menu on the Internet from home beforehand (ordering and booking can be done online at www.lacasita.co.uk ).

I already knew I had to try the chilli poppers ­ breaded and fried mild jalapeno chillies filled with cream cheese and served with mild salsa. There was none of the fabled `manana mentality' here as five fairly large poppers arrived swiftly and were absolutely delicious. One word of warning would be not to try to eat them straight away as the cream cheese filling proved to be red hot! My guest chose nachos supreme ­ corn tortilla chips covered with a spicy cheese sauce, with refried beans, sour cream, guacamole, salsa and jalapeno chillies. They had just the right combination of spice in the sauce, cooled down by the sour cream and he was glad he had chosen the small portion as any more would have been too hefty a starter.

For a main course I had been eyeing up the enchiladas with grilled chicken. I couldn't fault the three rolled-up tortillas that arrived ­ they were packed with chicken in a spicy sauce and covered with melted cheese. My guest chose one of the combination platters which came with a taco (flour tortilla), a chilli rellenos (a battered deep-fried pepper filled with mozzarella) and an enchilada. The fillings are chosen separately so this makes for a real extravaganza for the tastebuds. All main dishes also come with Mexican rice, which proved very tasty, sour cream, lettuce and refried beans. Desserts included caramel crispies ­ tortillas with cinnamon, sugar and caramel sauce. Unfortunately at this point we were absolutely full, so gave them a miss.

Overall La Casita was a very welcome change for an evening out. My only small grumble was that the chairs were a little too `authentic' and proved slightly uncomfortable by the end of our meal. However, at just over £33 for two courses, it was very reasonable.

By Alison Grover http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/tourism/eatingout/TOURISM_EATINGOUT3.html

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NEW Christmas 2007 Menu!
Plus pre-order booking form
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Job Vacancies @ La Casita
Chef & Supervisor opportunities
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New Opening Hours @ La Casita
Opening times and details
27 January 2005
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Newspaper Review
Wiltshire Gazette and Herald March 2004
10th March 2004
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More About La Casita
15th October 2000
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