Casa Mexicana

The fourth Mexican restaurant to open in Britain, Casa Mexicana has been running successfully since 1986. Recently refurbished and with a full bar licence, the restaurant has undergone something of a transformation and is now generally considered to be one of Bristol's foremost affordable fine dining venues.

Well researched menus, avoiding too much emphasis on the Tex Mex has meant the restaurant has been featured twice in The Sunday Times and rated by The Guardian amongst the top 5 Mexican restaurants in the UK.

The owners, Kevin and Lesley Duff, use their frequent trips to the Yucatan in Southern Mexico to build inspired menus that take advantage of the finest fresh ingredients such as diver caught scallops, corn fed chicken and fresh organic herbs and vegetables. All of this is infused into a sublime meal experience by Head Chef Dave Lawrence and his team, and co-ordinated by restaurant manager JV and his enthusiastic waiting staff.

From amongst the many creations that are on offer, tapas such as king crevettes with smoked chilli butter and soft tortillas, seared fresh scallops with lime and coriander butter, and lightly crumbed calamari with habanero and horseradish crema rarely fail to delight the palate. Amongst salads, the Caesar with griddled chicken, mixed leaves, anchovies and croutons is an exciting blend of flavours. Entradas offer spiced prawns, tomato and fresh lime mayonnaise in a soft tortilla wrap.

Main courses of fajitas, for two people (or more) come to the table on a sizzling platter with guacamole, refried beans, salsa, sour cream, pickled chillies and warm soft flour tortillas; choose between sliced marinated chicken, strips of griddled steak, sweet chilli prawns, and a vegetarian version. The Ultimate Fajita consists of a combination of all varieties.

Specialities encompass char-grilled chicken breast and wild mushrooms; traditional burritos stuffed with shredded beef, chicken or vegetables, and camarones de la casa, king prawns in a lovely light sauce of sweet red peppers, almonds and coconut milk, among other choices. Zesty sides of rajas-griddled peppers or home-pickled chillies add to the enjoyment.

It always seems to me that what the Mexicans call postres, or puddings, are a bit of an anti-climax after all that fire - all I long to do is to reach for more tequila, but it is my pleasure to tell you that amongst the best is capirotada, a sort of toasted buttery bread with apples, almonds and bananas infused in a spiced muscovada syrup. Let me assure you if you are suffering from secondary scorching, next to tequila this is the stuff to put you right.

They have a full bar licence so whether you drop in simply for a glass of wine, they offer you the best from a largely Hispanic list. Experience tells in this long established Mexican hot spot. More details including the full menu are on their Website.